Dorchester (South Oxfordshire)
Dorchester (South Oxfordshire) is a town or village in Oxfordshire, England. It has around 2 restaurants and cafés, with 11 bus stops and Culham railway station 4.9 km away. There were around 2 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 Dorchester (South Oxfordshire) area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the South Oxfordshire area is among the least deprived areas in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 149,082 residents at roughly 220 people per km².
- Council
- South Oxfordshire
- County
- Oxfordshire
- Constituency
- Henley
- Police force
- Thames Valley
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 55th of 294 English council areas — better than 81% 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
10°COvercast
- Today: 11° / 8° · 20% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 6° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:04Sunset 16:32
9h 28m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
24US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Oxford St Ebbes, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 6.7 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 5.0% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
5 reported · August 2026▼ 37% YoY
- Drugs2
- Other theft2
- Anti-social behaviour1
Neighbourhood team: Wallingford, Berinsfield and Cholsey · Thames Valley
Local policing priorities
- Reduce drug-related offending and knife-enabled crime
- Reduce the frequency and impact of anti-social behaviour and disorder
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
142 reported road collisions (2025)
29 killed or seriously injured · 175 casualties · 9.5 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
16 food businesses within 2 miles
- 10 rated 4–5 ★ (7 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Culham (4.9 km)
- 11 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Culham (4.9 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£471,427 average▲ 2.2% YoY
Across South Oxfordshire · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,402 average monthly rent▲ 3.5% YoY
- 1 bed £1,042
- 2 bed £1,292
- 3 bed £1,615
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
10.0× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 10.0 times median annual pay (10.6× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
1,943 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: 173.9p · Asda (9.7 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 196.9p · Asda (11.3 km)
3 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
11 charging locations within ~8 km
- 3 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 150 kW
- Nearest: The Chequers (2 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Swimming pools4
- Sports pitches6
- Playgrounds1
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
149,082 residents in South Oxfordshire · 220/km²
- Under 16: 19%
- 16–64: 61%
- 65+: 21%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK11,385
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK9,362
- Net moves+2,023
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Among the least deprived areas in England
Ranked 287 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,598 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (28% of 67,120)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
85 schools · 25,829 pupils
57 primary · 9 secondary · 19 other
Ofsted: 22 of 28 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (79%)
72 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Gillotts SchoolOutstanding
- Langtree SchoolGood
- Lord Williams's SchoolGood
- Maiden Erlegh Chiltern EdgeGood
- Didcot Girls' School
- Icknield Community College
- St Birinus School
- Wallingford School
- Wheatley Park School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · South Oxfordshire
Care & health services
672 CQC-registered services
- Care homes149
- GP practices107
- Dentists167
- Homecare agencies173
- Hospitals & hospices16
CQC ratings: 92% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 3 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Oxfordshire
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Dorchester Conservation Area)
- Within the Green Belt
- 120 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
304 applications decided
96.1% granted · 292 granted, 12 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Freddie van Mierlo
Liberal Democrat
Henley and Thame
Recent votes:
- NoBudget Resolution No. 86: High value council tax surcharge
- NoBudget Resolution No. 76: Rates of alcohol duty
- NoBudget Resolution No. 55: Value added tax (electric vehicle charging)
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 15: Charges in connection with employment visas
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat majority
- Lab 3
- Con 1
- LD 20
- Grn 8
- Oth 4
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools1
- Parks & greens2
- Restaurants & cafés5
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
8,790 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
17 jobs advertised · £32,346 avg
e.g. Commercial Cleaners, Trainee Driving Instructor - Dorchester, Oxfordshire, England, Technical Support Engineer
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£935 median full-time weekly pay
1.9% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£35,652 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 · 67,091 certificates
9.3% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
41% low-carbon electricity
Gas 52% · Solar 15% · Wind 14% · Imports 8%
215 gCO₂/kWh · high intensity
Latest estimate for South England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 86.1 yrs women · 82.2 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy (Oxfordshire): 66.6 women · 65.4 men
64% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.8
- Feeling worthwhile7.9
- Happiness yesterday7.4
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.2
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
6 GP surgeries · 4 pharmacies in OX10
- Benson Medical Centre
- Berinsfield Health Centre
- Mill Stream Surgery
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Henley and Thame:
- Stop plans to use MoD sites for asylum seekers without full local consultation578 local signatures · 23,862 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks430 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases301 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND228 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Ensure new sewage treatment infrastructure meets higher standards as in the EU228 local signatures · 48,100 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Dorchester on Thames · 0.2 kmDorchester on Thames is a historic village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. It is situated approximately 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Oxford and 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Wallingford, positioned at th…
Dorchester Abbey Museum · 0.2 kmDorchester Abbey Museum is a local museum in the village of Dorchester, Oxfordshire, England. It is attached to Dorchester Abbey.
- Dorchester Abbey · 0.3 km
The Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, more usually called Dorchester Abbey, is a Church of England parish church in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Oxford. It was formerly a N…
- Day's Lock · 1.2 km
Day's Lock is a lock on the River Thames near Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England on the Dorchester side of the river.
Little Wittenham Bridge · 1.3 kmLittle Wittenham Bridge is a footbridge across the River Thames in England near Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. It is just downstream of Day's Lock on the reach above Benson Lock and connects Little Wittenham to Do…
Little Wittenham SSSI · 1.7 kmLittle Wittenham SSSI is a 68.9-hectare (170-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-east of Didcot in Oxfordshire. It is also a Special Area of Conservation.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Dorchester (South Oxfordshire)?
- Dorchester (South Oxfordshire) is a town in Oxfordshire, England, in the South Oxfordshire local authority.
- How deprived is Dorchester (South Oxfordshire)?
- The South Oxfordshire local authority, which includes Dorchester (South Oxfordshire), is among the least deprived areas in England on the IoD2025.