Porlock
Porlock is a village in Somerset, England, with a population of around 1,213. It has around 1 pharmacy and around 8 restaurants and cafés, plus 4 bus stops. There were around 3 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly Criminal damage & arson. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Porlock area — all from official UK open data.
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 208th of 294 English council areas — better than 29% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. Scored on 80% of the full weighting — some data isn't available here. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
18°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 19° / 18° · 93% rain
- Tomorrow: 20° / 18° · Patchy rain nearby
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:44Sunset 19:35
12h 51m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
18US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Port Talbot Dyffryn School, United Kingdom
Crime
6 reported · July 2026▲ 500% YoY
- Other theft3
- Burglary1
- Vehicle crime1
- Violence & sexual offences1
Neighbourhood team: Exmoor · Avon And Somerset
Local policing priorities
- After a busy summer, we will be renewing our focus on the local community, seeking opportunities and events to give crime reduction advic…
- If you are concerned about someone who may be drink/drug driving or dealing drugs in your community, you can report your concerns by ring…
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
864 reported road collisions (2024)
148 killed or seriously injured · 1,215 casualties · 15.1 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
26 food businesses within 2 miles
- 24 rated 4–5 ★ (21 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
1 active warning/alert
- Flood alert: Somerset coast at Porlock Weir
Source: Environment Agency
Buses & trains
- 4 bus stops within ~½ mile
Source: OpenStreetMap
House prices
£281,571 average▲ 4.5% YoY
Across Somerset · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,006 average monthly rent▲ 5.6% YoY
- 1 bed £685
- 2 bed £905
- 3 bed £1,124
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
8.0× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 8.0 times median annual pay (7.9× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 166.9p · Morrisons (9.2 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 189.9p · Morrisons (9.2 km)
1 station within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
2 charging locations within ~8 km
- Fastest nearby: 22 kW
- Nearest: Porlock Central car park (0.1 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools2
- Sports pitches6
- Playgrounds3
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- British Empire Medal awarded to ‘community hero’ by The Lord Lieutenant of Somerset· 11 Sept 2026
- Walk for a Life comes to Shepton Mallet for the first time· 9 Sept 2026
- New guidance aims to prevent choking deaths· 7 Sept 2026
- New hyperacute stroke services launch across Somerset and Dorset and Somerset Council· 7 Sept 2026
- Skills for Care webinars· 7 Sept 2026
Source: Somerset Council
Population
571,548 residents in Somerset
- Under 16: 17%
- 16–64: 58%
- 65+: 25%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Council tax
£2,561 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band B (27% of 272,060)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
305 schools · 77,908 pupils
218 primary · 28 secondary · 59 other
Ofsted: 100 of 138 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (72%)
265inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- The Castle SchoolOutstanding
- Buckler's Mead SchoolGood
- Court Fields SchoolGood
- Haygrove SchoolGood
- Holyrood AcademyGood
- Preston School AcademyGood
- Sexey's SchoolGood
- St Dunstan's SchoolGood
- The King Alfred School an AcademyGood
- WhitstoneGood
- Ansford AcademyRequires improvement
- Robert Blake SchoolRequires improvement
- West Somerset CollegeRequires improvement
- Huish Episcopi AcademyInadequate
- Monkton Wood AcademyInadequate
- Bishop Fox's School
- Brymore Academy
- Chilton Trinity School
- Crispin School Academy
- Frome Community College
- King Arthur's School
- Kingsmead Academy
- Pyrland School
- Stanchester Academy
- The Blue School
- The Kings of Wessex Academy
- Wadham School
- Westfield Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Somerset
Care & health services
551 CQC-registered services
- Care homes198
- GP practices73
- Dentists105
- Homecare agencies122
- Hospitals & hospices25
CQC ratings: 94% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 3 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Somerset
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 36 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
788 applications decided
87.2% granted · 687 granted, 101 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Rachel Gilmour
Liberal Democrat
Tiverton and Minehead
Recent votes:
- AyeDraft Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
- AyeHealth Bill: Report Stage: Amendment 1
- AyeHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 140
- AyeRepresentation of the People Bill: Third Reading
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat majority
- Lab 5
- Con 31
- LD 62
- Grn 4
- Ref 3
- Oth 4
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools1
- GPs & clinics1
- Pharmacies1
- Parks & greens1
- Restaurants & cafés8
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
28,445 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
6 jobs advertised
e.g. Sign Up as A Delivery Person - Earn With Uber Eats, Be Your Own Boss - Deliver with Uber Eats, Delivery Opportunities Near Me? - Deliver with Uber Eats
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£711 median full-time weekly pay
2.6% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£25,473 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
58% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: C · 50,033 certificates
10.5% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
31% low-carbon electricity
Gas 69% · Solar 23% · Wind 8% · Nuclear 0%
271 gCO₂/kWh · very high intensity
Latest estimate for South West England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 84.4 yrs women · 80.6 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 63 women · 62.8 men
68% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Tiverton and Minehead:
- Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership414 local signatures · 163,883 nationwide
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership312 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office310 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s276 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases259 local signatures · 104,741 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
Porlock · 0.2 kmPorlock is a coastal village in Somerset, England, 5 miles (8 km) west of Minehead. At the 2011 census, the village had a population of 1,440.
Dovery Manor Museum · 0.4 kmDovery Manor Museum, also known as Porlock Museum, is a local museum in Porlock, Somerset, England.
Porlock Hill · 0.6 kmPorlock Hill is a road west of Porlock, Somerset. It is part of the A39, connecting Porlock to Lynmouth and Barnstaple in Devon and is the steepest A-road in the United Kingdom, approaching 1 in 4 (25%) in places. A t…
Hawkcombe Woods · 1.0 kmHawkcombe Woods is a national nature reserve near Porlock on Exmoor, Somerset, England.
- Porlock Bay · 1.1 km
Porlock Bay is on the Bristol Channel, between Hurlstone Point and Porlock Weir in Somerset, England.
Coleridge Way · 1.3 kmThe Coleridge Way is a 51-mile (82 km) long-distance trail in Somerset and Devon, England.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Somerset with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Porlock?
- Porlock is a town in Somerset, England, in the Somerset local authority.
- What is the population of Porlock?
- Porlock has an approximate settlement population of 1,213.