Balcombe
Balcombe is a village in West Sussex, England, with a population of around 1,424. It has around 1 restaurant or café, 3 bus stops, and Balcombe railway station is 0.4 km away. There were around 4 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 Balcombe area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Mid Sussex area is among the least deprived areas in England (IoD2019). The wider council area has around 152,566 residents at roughly 457 people per km².
- Council
- Mid Sussex
- County
- West Sussex
- Constituency
- Horsham
- Police force
- Sussex
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 60th 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
21°CPartly Cloudy
- Today: 22° / 13° · 22% rain
- Tomorrow: 23° / 16° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:29Sunset 19:23
12h 54m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
17US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Storrington Roadside, United Kingdom
Crime
4 reported · July 2026▲ 100% YoY
- Anti-social behaviour2
- Other theft1
- Violence & sexual offences1
Neighbourhood team: Balcombe, Handcross, Pease Pottage, Ansty, Staplefield and Cuckfield · Sussex
Local policing priorities
- Drug Harm
- Antisocial Driving - Speeding
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
268 reported road collisions (2024)
75 killed or seriously injured · 353 casualties · 17.6 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
19 food businesses within 2 miles
- 14 rated 4–5 ★ (11 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Balcombe (0.4 km)
- 3 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Balcombe (0.5 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£426,441 average▼ 0.9% YoY
Across Mid Sussex · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,420 average monthly rent▲ 3.4% YoY
- 1 bed £1,008
- 2 bed £1,288
- 3 bed £1,617
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
10.9× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 10.9 times median annual pay (11.2× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 156.9p · Esso (11.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 187.9p · Esso (11 km)
12 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
29 charging locations within ~8 km
- 9 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 350 kW
- Nearest: MFG BP Handcross (S) (4.9 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches10
- Playgrounds3
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
152,566 residents in Mid Sussex · 457/km²
- Under 16: 19%
- 16–64: 60%
- 65+: 21%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Among the least deprived areas in England
Ranked 311 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,474 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band D (25% of 70,350)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
66 schools · 26,547 pupils
42 primary · 7 secondary · 17 other
Ofsted: 19 of 23 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (83%)
52inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- St Paul's Catholic CollegeOutstanding
- Downlands Community SchoolGood
- Imberhorne School
- Oathall Community College
- Sackville School
- The Burgess Hill Academy
- Warden Park Secondary Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Mid Sussex
Care & health services
988 CQC-registered services
- Care homes343
- GP practices106
- Dentists219
- Homecare agencies210
- Hospitals & hospices37
CQC ratings: 91% of rated services Good or Outstanding
Source: Care Quality Commission · West Sussex
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Balcombe)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 40 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
253 applications decided
92.9% granted · 235 granted, 18 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Mims Davies
Conservative
East Grinstead and Uckfield
Recent votes:
- NoTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading
- AyeSocial Housing Bill [Lords]: Reasoned Amendment to Second Reading
- NoDraft Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
- AyeHealth Bill: Report Stage: Amendment 1
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat / Independent coalition
- Lab 1
- Con 18
- LD 19
- Grn 4
- Oth 6
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools1
- GPs & clinics1
- Parks & greens4
- Restaurants & cafés1
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
8,180 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
64 jobs advertised · £40,145 avg
e.g. Looking For Part-Time Opportunities? - Deliver with Uber Eats, Be Your Own Boss - Deliver with Uber Eats, Delivery Opportunities Near Me? - Deliver with Uber Eats
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£842 median full-time weekly pay
2% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£31,691 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
51% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 71,992 certificates
8.3% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
38% low-carbon electricity
Gas 33% · Imports 28% · Wind 17% · Solar 14%
149 gCO₂/kWh · moderate intensity
Latest estimate for South East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 85.7 yrs women · 82.1 yrs men
60% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction8.1
- Feeling worthwhile8.1
- Happiness yesterday8.0
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)2.8
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
2 GP surgeries · 1 pharmacy in RH17
- Cuckfield Medical Centre
- Ouse Valley Practice
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in East Grinstead and Uckfield:
- Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership445 local signatures · 163,883 nationwide
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership418 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office357 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s310 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
- Review the evidence and fund the addition of SMA to the Newborn Screening Test275 local signatures · 151,287 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
Balcombe · 0.4 kmBalcombe is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies 31 miles (50 km) south of London, 16 miles (26 km) north of Brighton, and 32 miles (51 km) east-northeast of the count…
- Balcombe railway station · 0.5 km
Balcombe railway station is a stop on the Brighton Main Line, serving the village of Balcombe, in West Sussex, England. It lies 33 miles 64 chains (54.4 km) down the line from London Bridge, via Redhill, and is situat…
Balcombe drilling protest · 1.0 kmThe Balcombe drilling protest occurred when test drilling and possible fracking for petroleum were proposed in 2012 near Balcombe, a village in West Sussex, England. Local residents protested and anti-fracking enviro…
- Ardingly Reservoir · 2.0 km
Ardingly Reservoir is west of Ardingly in West Sussex. The southern end is a 74.5-hectare (184-acre) Local Nature Reserve owned and managed by South East Water.
Balcombe tunnel · 2.3 kmBalcombe tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Brighton Main Line through the Sussex Weald between Three Bridges and Balcombe. It is 1,034 metres long. The track is electrified with a 750 V DC third-rail.
Balcombe Place · 2.3 kmBalcombe Place is a Grade II* listed building, built in 1856 in Balcombe, West Sussex, England, with a south view across the Ouse Valley. It now forms part of The Balcombe Estate.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Mid Sussex with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Balcombe?
- Balcombe is a town in West Sussex, England, in the Mid Sussex local authority.
- What is the population of Balcombe?
- Balcombe has an approximate settlement population of 1,424.
- How deprived is Balcombe?
- The Mid Sussex local authority, which includes Balcombe, is among the least deprived areas in England on the IoD2019.