Formby
Formby is a town in Lancashire, England, with a population of around 23,329. It has around 1 GP surgery, 2 pharmacies, 2 supermarkets, and around 18 restaurants and cafés, along with 9 bus stops and Freshfield railway station 2.2 km away. There were around 93 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly Violence & sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Formby area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the West Lancashire area is around the average in England (IoD2019). The wider council area has around 117,431 residents at roughly 339 people per km².
- Council
- West Lancashire
- County
- Lancashire
- Constituency
- West Lancashire
- Police force
- Lancashire
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 58th of 294 English council areas — better than 80% 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
18°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 18° / 11° · 87% rain
- Tomorrow: 18° / 15° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:39Sunset 19:38
12h 59m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
30US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Wirral Tranmere, United Kingdom
Crime
98 reported · July 2026▲ 21% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences40
- Shoplifting23
- Anti-social behaviour12
- Public order7
6 stop & searches · mostly controlled drugs
Neighbourhood team: Harington · Merseyside
Local policing priorities
- Retail Theft in Formby - Recent months have seen a rise in retail crime in this area. We aim to target offenders and reduce offending.
- Numerous residents have reports ASB issues with youth riding anti socially on e-bikes and scramblers.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
156 reported road collisions (2024)
51 killed or seriously injured · 228 casualties · 13.3 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
123 food businesses within 2 miles
- 113 rated 4–5 ★ (108 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Formby (0.5 km)
- 57 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Formby (0.5 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£231,816 average▲ 4.3% YoY
Across West Lancashire · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£803 average monthly rent▲ 6.4% YoY
- 1 bed £587
- 2 bed £729
- 3 bed £842
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
7.1× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 7.1 times median annual pay (6.4× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 162.9p · Asda (12 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 181.9p · Asda (12 km)
8 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
3 charging locations within ~8 km
- 2 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 150 kW
- Nearest: Grapes Hotel Formby (1.1 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Gyms1
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches17
- Golf courses2
- Playgrounds6
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
117,431 residents in West Lancashire · 339/km²
- Under 16: 16%
- 16–64: 62%
- 65+: 22%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 178 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
8% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,456 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band A (28% of 52,760)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
73 schools · 16,020 pupils
55 primary · 6 secondary · 12 other
Ofsted: 23 of 27 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (85%)
68inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Burscough Priory AcademyGood
- Lathom High School : A Technology CollegeGood
- Ormskirk School
- St Bede's Catholic High School
- Tarleton Academy
- Up Holland High School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · West Lancashire
Care & health services
1,255 CQC-registered services
- Care homes423
- GP practices184
- Dentists250
- Homecare agencies290
- Hospitals & hospices38
CQC ratings: 91% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 7 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Lancashire
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 29 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
119 applications decided
81.5% granted · 97 granted, 22 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Bill Esterson
Labour
Sefton Central
Recent votes:
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: Amendment 1
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 143
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 142
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 140
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Conservative (minority)
- Lab 13
- Con 12
- Ref 7
- Oth 13
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools10
- GPs & clinics4
- Pharmacies5
- Supermarkets3
- Parks & greens7
- Restaurants & cafés29
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
5,075 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
54 jobs advertised · £31,407 avg
e.g. Veterinary Surgeon, Become a Law Tutor in Formby – Flexible & Remote, Manager in Training
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£788 median full-time weekly pay
2.7% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£24,532 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
44% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 53,300 certificates
11.4% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
99% low-carbon electricity
Wind 80% · Nuclear 12% · Solar 7% · Gas 1%
2 gCO₂/kWh · very low intensity
Latest estimate for North Wales & Merseyside · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 83.2 yrs women · 81.1 yrs men
71% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.5
- Feeling worthwhile8.0
- Happiness yesterday7.5
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)2.9
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Sefton Central:
- Fully fund Specialist Palliative Care provided by hospices602 local signatures · 7,817 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office336 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership282 local signatures · 163,883 nationwide
- Review the evidence and fund the addition of SMA to the Newborn Screening Test276 local signatures · 151,287 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s259 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
- Formby · 0.2 km
Formby is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England.
Formby High School · 0.3 kmFormby High School is an English secondary school with academy status located in the town of Formby, Merseyside. The local primary schools Freshfield, Redgate and Trinity St. Peter's act as feeder schools to Formby High.
Freshfield · 0.5 kmFreshfield is an area of Formby, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, situated at the northern end of the town. It has no local political distinction or representation and is included as part of…
Formby railway station · 0.5 kmFormby railway station is a railway station in the town of Formby, Merseyside, England. The station is located on the Southport branch of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line. The station has a car park.
- Harington (ward) · 0.6 km
Harington is a ward of Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in the Sefton Central Parliamentary constituency that covers the western half of the town of Formby, including the western half of the area known as Freshfield. T…
Freshfield railway station · 0.9 kmFreshfield railway station serves the Freshfield district of Formby, Merseyside, England. The station is located on the Southport branch of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare West Lancashire with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Formby?
- Formby is a town in Lancashire, England, in the West Lancashire local authority.
- What is the population of Formby?
- Formby has an approximate settlement population of 23,329.
- How deprived is Formby?
- The West Lancashire local authority, which includes Formby, is around the average in England on the IoD2019.