Benenden

9°CPartly Cloudy

• Today: 12° / 8° · 31% rain
• Tomorrow: 12° / 8° · Patchy rain nearby

Source: WeatherAPI

Sunrise 06:51Sunset 16:30

9h 39m of daylight today

Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec

Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk

82US AQI · Moderate

Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)

Source: WAQI · Chatham Roadside, United Kingdom

• 6.8 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
• 5.1% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution

Lower is better for both figures.

Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024

5 reported · August 2026▲ 150% YoY

• Violence & sexual offences4
• Vehicle crime1

Neighbourhood team: Hawkhurst, Sandhurst & Benenden · Kent

Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)

194 reported road collisions (2025)

50 killed or seriously injured · 240 casualties · 16.8 collisions per 10,000 residents

Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)

10 food businesses within 2 miles

• 9 rated 4–5 ★ (8 top)
• 0 rated 0–2 (poor)

Source: Food Standards Agency

• Nearest station: Rolvenden (5.5 km)
• 8 bus stops within ~½ mile

Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail

£452,845 average▼ 0.1% YoY

Across Tunbridge Wells · to 2026-08

Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)

£1,533 average monthly rent▲ 4.5% YoY

• 1 bed £1,056
• 2 bed £1,405
• 3 bed £1,702

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08

11.5× house price to earnings

A typical home costs 11.5 times median annual pay (11.4× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).

Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025

1,537 property sales in the last 12 months

12 months to May 2026

A busier or quieter market is not by itself good or bad. Monthly counts are small and volatile, so only the annual total is shown.

Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI, 12 months to 2026-05

• Cheapest petrol: 158.9p · Esso (8.1 km)
• Cheapest diesel: 192.9p · Esso (8.1 km)

2 stations within ~8 miles

Source: CMA fuel price scheme

12 charging locations within ~8 km

• 1 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
• Fastest nearby: 50 kW
• Nearest: Jockey Lane Car Park (4.7 km)

Source: Open Charge Map

• Swimming pools5
• Sports pitches24
• Playgrounds2

Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)

115,313 residents in Tunbridge Wells · 348/km²

• Under 16: 20%
• 16–64: 61%
• 65+: 19%

Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)

• Moves in from elsewhere in the UK8,576
• Moves out to elsewhere in the UK7,899
• Net moves+677

Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025

Less deprived than the average in England

Ranked 212 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)

Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025

£2,446 a year · Band D, 2026-27

Most homes here are Band C (27% of 52,890)

Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27

54 schools · 23,110 pupils

32 primary · 8 secondary · 14 other

Ofsted: 13 of 17 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (76%)

43 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)

Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Tunbridge Wells

1,676 CQC-registered services

• Care homes503
• GP practices222
• Dentists360
• Homecare agencies415
• Hospitals & hospices47

CQC ratings: 87% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 20 Inadequate

Source: Care Quality Commission · Kent

• Not in the Green Belt
• 87 listed buildings within ~1.5 km

Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)

278 applications decided

94.2% granted · 262 granted, 16 refused

Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2

Katie Lam

Conservative

Weald of Kent

Source: UK Parliament

Liberal Democrat majority

• Lab 3
• Con 7
• LD 26
• Oth 3

Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)

• Schools2
• Parks & greens13

Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)

6,975 active business enterprises in the area

Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)

13 jobs advertised · £51,307 avg

e.g. Site Agent, Design Manager, Care Support Assistant

Source: Adzuna

£871 median full-time weekly pay

2.6% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits

£34,689 disposable income per head (2024)

Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI

41% of homes rated EPC C or above

Most common band: D · 58,408 certificates

10.8% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)

Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty

50% low-carbon electricity

Gas 34% · Wind 32% · Imports 16% · Nuclear 11%

149 gCO₂/kWh · moderate intensity

Latest estimate for South East England · National Grid ESO

Life expectancy: 85 yrs women · 80.8 yrs men

Healthy life expectancy (Kent): 63.9 women · 62.5 men

62% of adults overweight or obese

Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025

• Life satisfaction7.7
• Feeling worthwhile7.6
• Happiness yesterday7.4
• Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.1

Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23

3 GP surgeries · 2 pharmacies in TN17

• Old Parsonage Surgery
• Old School Surgery
• Orchard End

Source: NHS Organisation Data Service

Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Weald of Kent:

• Mandatory suicide risk assessment for adolescents in hospital who express intent354 local signatures · 18,972 nationwide
• Permanent driving ban on intoxicated drivers guilty of causing death318 local signatures · 29,985 nationwide
• Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks252 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
• Protect legal right to support for children with SEND233 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
• Make catapult attacks against animals a standalone criminal offence203 local signatures · 55,084 nationwide

Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05

• 
  Benenden · 0.2 km

  Benenden is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is located on the Weald, 6 miles (10 km) to the west of Tenterden. In addition to the main village, Iden Green, Eas…

• 
  St George, Benenden · 0.3 km

  St George's Church, Benenden is a Church of England church in Benenden, Kent. The building is Grade II* listed with Historic England.

• 
  Hemsted Park · 1.0 km

  Hemsted Park, historically sometimes known as Hempsted Park, is a 100 hectares former country estate and manor house north-west of the village of Benenden in the English county of Kent. It is the site of Benenden Scho…

• 
  Benenden School · 1.1 km

  Benenden School is a private boarding school for girls in Kent, England, in Hemsted Park at Benenden, between Cranbrook and Tenterden. Benenden has a boarding population of over 550 girls aged 11 to 18, as well as a l…

• 
  Beacon Mill, Benenden · 1.3 km

  Beacon Mill is a Grade II listed smock mill in Benenden, Kent, England which is in need of restoration. The mill has been out of use since 1923 and is privately owned.

• 
  Parsonage Wood · 1.3 km

  Parsonage Wood is a 9.7-hectare (24-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-east of Cranbrook in Kent. It is owned and managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust.

Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)