Herne Bay
Herne Bay is a town in Kent, England, with a population of around 24,875. It has 35 bus stops and the nearest railway station being Herne Bay, 0.9 km away. The average sold house price is around £343,537, and there were around 189 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly Anti-social behaviour. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Herne Bay area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Canterbury area is around the average in England (IoD2019). The wider council area has around 157,429 residents at roughly 510 people per km².
- Council
- Canterbury
- County
- Kent
- Constituency
- North Thanet
- Police force
- Kent
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 159th of 294 English council areas — better than 46% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
20°CCloudy
- Today: 23° / 14° · 12% rain
- Tomorrow: 23° / 17° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:24Sunset 19:19
12h 55m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
22US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom
Crime
205 reported · July 2026▼ 2% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences67
- Anti-social behaviour65
- Shoplifting24
- Criminal damage & arson9
24 stop & searches · mostly controlled drugs
Neighbourhood team: Heron · Kent
Local policing priorities
- E-scooters/E-bikes.
- Road safety issues.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
276 reported road collisions (2024)
72 killed or seriously injured · 375 casualties · 17.5 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
268 food businesses within 2 miles
- 202 rated 4–5 ★ (181 top)
- 8 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Herne Bay (1.2 km)
- 26 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Herne Bay (1.2 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£338,030 average▲ 3.3% YoY
Across Canterbury · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,281 average monthly rent▲ 5.7% YoY
- 1 bed £876
- 2 bed £1,133
- 3 bed £1,369
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
9.4× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 9.4 times median annual pay (9.5× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 143.9p · BP (11.2 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 149.9p · BP (11.2 km)
10 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
12 charging locations within ~8 km
- 6 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 150 kW
- Nearest: Central Parade (0.2 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Gyms4
- Swimming pools2
- Sports pitches16
- Playgrounds5
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
157,429 residents in Canterbury · 510/km²
- Under 16: 16%
- 16–64: 63%
- 65+: 22%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 185 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
2% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,419 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (30% of 71,860)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
64 schools · 25,120 pupils
35 primary · 10 secondary · 19 other
Ofsted: 16 of 17 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (94%)
47inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Barton Court Grammar SchoolGood
- Herne Bay High SchoolGood
- Orion SpiresGood
- St Anselm's Catholic School, CanterburyGood
- The Archbishop's SchoolGood
- The Whitstable SchoolGood
- The Canterbury AcademyRequires improvement
- Barton Manor School
- Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School
- Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Canterbury
Care & health services
1,672 CQC-registered services
- Care homes501
- GP practices221
- Dentists362
- Homecare agencies415
- Hospitals & hospices47
CQC ratings: 87% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 25 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Kent
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (HERNE BAY)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 57 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
220 applications decided
97.7% granted · 215 granted, 5 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Sir Roger Gale
Conservative
Herne Bay and Sandwich
Recent votes:
- NoRepresentation of the People Bill: Third Reading
- NoRepresentation of the People Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 88
- AyeRepresentation of the People Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 67
- AyeRepresentation of the People Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 65
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Labour (minority)
- Lab 18
- Con 8
- LD 8
- Grn 4
- Oth 1
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools4
- GPs & clinics5
- Pharmacies5
- Supermarkets5
- Parks & greens21
- Restaurants & cafés70
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
6,775 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
162 jobs advertised · £35,935 avg
e.g. Sign Up as A Delivery Person - Earn With Uber Eats, Housekeeping Assistant, Head Chef
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£735 median full-time weekly pay
3.3% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£24,464 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
46% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 78,894 certificates
12% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
43% low-carbon electricity
Imports 39% · Solar 22% · Gas 18% · Wind 18%
92 gCO₂/kWh · moderate intensity
Latest estimate for South East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 84 yrs women · 80.3 yrs men
61% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.5
- Feeling worthwhile7.6
- Happiness yesterday7.4
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.3
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Herne Bay and Sandwich:
- Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership979 local signatures · 163,883 nationwide
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership431 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office415 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Review the evidence and fund the addition of SMA to the Newborn Screening Test356 local signatures · 151,287 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases325 local signatures · 104,741 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
Central Bandstand, Herne Bay · 0.3 kmThe Central Bandstand, known as the Bandstand, in Herne Bay, Kent, England, was designed by H. Kempton Dyson in 1924, extended with an Art Deco frontage in 1932, and refurbished between 1998 and 1999. It is one of the…
Herne Bay · 0.3 kmHerne Bay is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England. It is 6 miles (10 km) north of Canterbury and 4 miles (6 km) east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver a…
Herne Bay Museum and Gallery · 0.4 kmThe Seaside Museum Herne Bay is a local museum in Herne Bay, Kent, England. It was established in 1932, and is notable for being a seaside tourist attraction featuring local archaeological and social history, for feat…
Herne Bay Pier · 0.6 kmHerne Bay Pier was the third pier to be built at Herne Bay, Kent for passenger steamers. It was notable for its exceptional length of 3,787 feet (1,154 m) and made famous after appearing in the opening sequence of Ken…
King's Hall, Herne Bay · 0.6 kmThe King's Hall is a theatre, concert hall and dance hall at Herne Bay, Kent, England. It was built as The Pavilion in 1903–1904, developed as the King Edward VII Memorial Hall in 1913 in memory of the late king, and…
Herne Bay F.C. · 0.9 kmHerne Bay Football Club is a football club based in Herne Bay, Kent, England. Affiliated to the Kent County Football Association, they are currently members of the Isthmian League South East Division and play at Winch…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Canterbury with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Herne Bay?
- Herne Bay is a town in Kent, England, in the Canterbury local authority.
- What is the population of Herne Bay?
- Herne Bay has an approximate settlement population of 24,875.
- How deprived is Herne Bay?
- The Canterbury local authority, which includes Herne Bay, is around the average in England on the IoD2019.