Widnes
Widnes is a town in Merseyside, England, with a population of around 61,464. It has 1 school, 1 pharmacy, and 4 restaurants and cafés, 21 bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Widnes, 1.6 km away. The average sold house price is around £223,508. There were around 265 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 Widnes area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Knowsley area is among the most deprived areas in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 154,519 residents at roughly 1,787 people per km².
- Council
- Knowsley
- County
- Merseyside
- Constituency
- St Helens South and Whiston
- Police force
- Merseyside
My Area Score
Challenged
Ranked 258th of 294 English council areas — better than 12% 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
9°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 13° / 7° · 38% rain
- Tomorrow: 12° / 6° · Sunny
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:15Sunset 16:33
9h 18m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
25US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Liverpool Speke, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 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
Crime
217 reported · August 2026
- Violence & sexual offences102
- Anti-social behaviour32
- Public order21
- Criminal damage & arson15
35 stop & searches · mostly controlled drugs
Neighbourhood team: Riverside · Cheshire
Local policing priorities
- Drug dealing activity in the Terrace Road area and speeding around Westbank.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
181 reported road collisions (2025)
28 killed or seriously injured · 215 casualties · 11.7 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
479 food businesses within 2 miles
- 362 rated 4–5 ★ (304 top)
- 19 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Widnes (1.9 km)
- 25 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Widnes (1.9 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£191,550 average▲ 1.6% YoY
Across Knowsley · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£858 average monthly rent▲ 11.4% YoY
- 1 bed £601
- 2 bed £767
- 3 bed £929
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
5.0× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 5.0 times median annual pay (5.2× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
1,606 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
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 136.8p · AppleGreen (7.1 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 143.8p · AppleGreen (7.1 km)
16 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
31 charging locations within ~8 km
- 8 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 175 kW
- Nearest: Bristol Street Motors - Nissan Dealer (0.4 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres4
- Gyms3
- Sports pitches50
- Golf courses1
- Playgrounds14
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
154,519 residents in Knowsley · 1,787/km²
- Under 16: 20%
- 16–64: 63%
- 65+: 17%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK9,469
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK7,795
- Net moves+1,674
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Among the most deprived areas in England
Ranked 17 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
40% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,488 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band A (53% of 71,760)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
62 schools · 21,497 pupils
49 primary · 6 secondary · 7 other
Ofsted: 21 of 26 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (81%)
60 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- All Saints Catholic High SchoolGood
- Kirkby High SchoolGood
- Lord Derby AcademyGood
- Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic AcademyRequires improvement
- The Prescot SchoolRequires improvement
- Halewood Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Knowsley
Care & health services
125 CQC-registered services
- Care homes29
- GP practices25
- Dentists27
- Homecare agencies24
- Hospitals & hospices5
CQC ratings: 89% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 3 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Knowsley
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Victoria Square)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 11 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
73 applications decided
97.3% granted · 71 granted, 2 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Derek Twigg
Labour
Widnes and Halewood
Recent votes:
- AyeDraft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
- NoOpposition day motion: Support for British farmers
- AyeWithdrawal Agreement (Windsor Framework and Governance) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
- AyeDraft Code of Practice on Access and Unfair Practices During the Recognition and Derecognition Process
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Labour majority
- Lab 24
- LD 3
- Grn 8
- Ref 4
- Oth 6
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools11
- GPs & clinics2
- Pharmacies5
- Supermarkets5
- Parks & greens14
- Restaurants & cafés42
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
4,330 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
354 jobs advertised · £37,181 avg
e.g. Vehicle Technician, Sheet Metal Worker, Senior Support Worker - Children’s Homes
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£733 median full-time weekly pay
4.3% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£20,287 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
59% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: C · 83,013 certificates
10.9% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
74% low-carbon electricity
Wind 47% · Nuclear 28% · Gas 24% · Imports 2%
94 gCO₂/kWh · moderate intensity
Latest estimate for North Wales & Merseyside · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 80.9 yrs women · 77.7 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 53.7 women · 54 men
75% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.2
- Feeling worthwhile7.5
- Happiness yesterday7.2
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.5
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
17 GP surgeries · 15 pharmacies in WA8
- Bevan Group Practice
- Fir Park Medical Centre
- The Beeches Medical Ctr
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Widnes and Halewood:
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth354 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND154 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Launch a public inquiry into illegal migration in the UK141 local signatures · 78,478 nationwide
- End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately130 local signatures · 76,640 nationwide
- Make statutory maternity pay 90% of wage for first 12 weeks & minimum wage after110 local signatures · 58,157 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
- Widnes · 0.0 km
Widnes is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021 census had a population of 62,400.
Widnes Town Hall · 0.2 kmWidnes Town Hall is a municipal building in Victoria Road in Widnes, Cheshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Widnes Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Riverside College, Widnes · 0.3 kmRiverside College is a further education college based over two sites in Widnes, Cheshire, England. It was rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted following an inspection in 2020, and received its second “Outstanding” rating fr…
- Widnes Central railway station · 0.4 km
Widnes Central railway station served the town of Widnes, England from 1879 to 1964.
- Widnes South railway station · 0.4 km
Widnes South railway station was located in the town of Widnes in Cheshire, England on the east side of Victoria Road. It was built by the London and North Western Railway and situated on their Widnes Deviation Line,…
Municipal Borough of Widnes · 0.4 kmThe Municipal Borough of Widnes was a municipal borough centred around the town of Widnes in Lancashire, England from 1892 until 1974.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Knowsley with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Widnes?
- Widnes is a town in Merseyside, England, in the Knowsley local authority.
- What is the population of Widnes?
- Widnes has an approximate settlement population of 61,464.
- How deprived is Widnes?
- The Knowsley local authority, which includes Widnes, is among the most deprived areas in England on the IoD2025.