Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring is a town in Tyne & Wear, England, with a population of around 36,746. It has around 2 pharmacies and 8 restaurants and cafés, with 57 bus stops and Chester-le-Street railway station 6.9 km away. There were around 120 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence and sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Houghton-le-Spring area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Sunderland area is among the most deprived areas in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 274,175 residents at roughly 1,995 people per km².
- Council
- Sunderland
- County
- Tyne & Wear
- Constituency
- Houghton and Sunderland South
- Police force
- Northumbria
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 149th of 294 English council areas — better than 49% 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: 11° / 8° · 65% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 8° · Patchy rain nearby
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:13Sunset 16:25
9h 12m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
27US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Sunderland Silksworth, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 6.0 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 4.5% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
119 reported · August 2026▼ 6% YoY
- Anti-social behaviour37
- Violence & sexual offences25
- Shoplifting12
- Criminal damage & arson11
3 stop & searches · mostly offensive weapons
Neighbourhood team: Houghton · Northumbria
Local policing priorities
- Anti-social behaviour (ASB) and motorcycle ASB
- Shop Theft
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
332 reported road collisions (2025)
80 killed or seriously injured · 430 casualties · 12.1 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
179 food businesses within 2 miles
- 148 rated 4–5 ★ (125 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: South Hylton (7.2 km)
- 59 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Chester-Le-Street (7.4 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£147,763 average▲ 4.6% YoY
Across Sunderland · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£707 average monthly rent▲ 4.6% YoY
- 1 bed £523
- 2 bed £647
- 3 bed £773
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
4.8× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 4.8 times median annual pay (4.3× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
3,161 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 (10.4 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 187.9p · BP (8.2 km)
17 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
69 charging locations within ~8 km
- 11 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 175 kW
- Nearest: Houghton Le Spring (0.8 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres2
- Sports pitches26
- Golf courses1
- Playgrounds5
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
274,175 residents in Sunderland · 1,995/km²
- Under 16: 18%
- 16–64: 62%
- 65+: 21%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK9,616
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK10,432
- Net moves−816
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 31 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
28% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,197 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band A (60% of 134,620)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
125 schools · 41,439 pupils
81 primary · 16 secondary · 28 other
Ofsted: 45 of 47 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (96%)
116 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Biddick AcademyGood
- Castle View Enterprise AcademyGood
- KepierGood
- Monkwearmouth AcademyGood
- Red House AcademyGood
- Sandhill View AcademyGood
- St Anthony's Girls' Catholic AcademyGood
- Thornhill AcademyGood
- Farringdon Community AcademyRequires improvement
- Washington AcademyRequires improvement
- Hetton Academy
- Oxclose Community Academy
- Southmoor Academy
- St Aidan's Catholic Academy
- St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington
- Venerable Bede Church of England Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Sunderland
Care & health services
235 CQC-registered services
- Care homes87
- GP practices45
- Dentists36
- Homecare agencies43
- Hospitals & hospices7
CQC ratings: 96% of rated services Good or Outstanding
Source: Care Quality Commission · Sunderland
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 21 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
153 applications decided
94.1% granted · 144 granted, 9 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Bridget Phillipson
Labour
Houghton and Sunderland South
Recent votes:
- AyeDraft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
- AyeWithdrawal Agreement (Windsor Framework and Governance) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
- AyeDraft Code of Practice on Access and Unfair Practices During the Recognition and Derecognition Process
- AyeDraft Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Reform UK majority
- Lab 5
- LD 12
- Ref 57
- Oth 1
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools7
- Pharmacies2
- Supermarkets3
- Parks & greens6
- Restaurants & cafés8
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
7,830 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
51 jobs advertised · £33,583 avg
e.g. Store Manager, Quality and Regulatory Engineer, Blinds and Curtains Installer
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£655 median full-time weekly pay
3.8% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£19,252 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 · 173,812 certificates
10.9% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
60% low-carbon electricity
Imports 40% · Nuclear 34% · Wind 26%
1 gCO₂/kWh · very low intensity
Latest estimate for North East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 82 yrs women · 77.3 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 56.3 women · 56.4 men
77% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.3
- Feeling worthwhile7.7
- Happiness yesterday7.3
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.4
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
1 GP surgery · 4 pharmacies in DH5
- Hetton Group Practice
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Houghton and Sunderland South:
- Mandate standardised cancer training for all GPs in England1,390 local signatures · 18,645 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth491 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases423 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Launch a public inquiry into illegal migration in the UK192 local signatures · 78,478 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND159 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Houghton-le-Spring · 0.2 kmHoughton-le-Spring is a town within Sunderland, England which has its recorded origins in Norman times. Historically in County Durham.
St Michael and All Angels' Church, Houghton-le-Spring · 0.4 kmSt Michael and All Angels' Church is the parish church of Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, England. The church dates from the late 12th century and contains the tomb of Bernard Gilpin. The church is a Grade I listed…
- Kepier School · 0.6 km
Kepier School is a coeducational secondary school in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. As of 2025, it has 1147 pupils, and is larger than the average secondary school.
Hetton Bogs · 1.2 kmHetton Bogs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the Sunderland district of Tyne and Wear, England. It is located 1 km (0.62 mi) north of the town of Hetton-le-Hole. This area is protected because of…
Rainton Meadows · 1.3 kmRainton Meadows is a nature reserve just to the west of East Rainton, County Durham, north-east England. The reserve, which covers 60 ha, and the adjacent Joe's Pond Site of Special Scientific Interest, are managed by…
Houghton and Sunderland South · 1.4 kmHoughton and Sunderland South is a constituency in Tyne and Wear represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since its creation in 2010, the seat has been represented by Bridget Philli…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Sunderland with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Houghton-le-Spring?
- Houghton-le-Spring is a town in Tyne & Wear, England, in the Sunderland local authority.
- What is the population of Houghton-le-Spring?
- Houghton-le-Spring has an approximate settlement population of 36,746.
- How deprived is Houghton-le-Spring?
- The Sunderland local authority, which includes Houghton-le-Spring, is among the most deprived areas in England on the IoD2025.