Handcross
Handcross is a village in West Sussex, England, with a population of around 1,027. It has around 2 restaurants and cafés, 12 bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Balcombe, 4.2 km away. There were around 12 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 Handcross area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Mid Sussex area is among the least deprived areas in England (IoD2025). 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 49th of 294 English council areas — better than 83% 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
8°CPartly Cloudy
- Today: 10° / 6° · 15% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 5° · Sunny
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:58Sunset 16:30
9h 32m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
35US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Storrington Roadside, 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
12 reported · August 2026▲ 140% YoY
- Anti-social behaviour6
- Drugs2
- Public order2
- Criminal damage & arson1
1 stop & searches · mostly controlled drugs
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
270 reported road collisions (2025)
68 killed or seriously injured · 351 casualties · 17.7 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
22 food businesses within 2 miles
- 16 rated 4–5 ★ (13 top)
- 2 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Balcombe (4.5 km)
- 10 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Balcombe (4.4 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£431,904 average▼ 0.8% YoY
Across Mid Sussex · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,423 average monthly rent▲ 3.4% YoY
- 1 bed £1,009
- 2 bed £1,291
- 3 bed £1,621
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
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
Property sales
2,258 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: 156.9p · Esso (4.9 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 189.9p · Esso (4.9 km)
6 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
24 charging locations within ~8 km
- 8 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 350 kW
- Nearest: The Red Lion (0 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools4
- Sports pitches23
- Playgrounds1
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)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK10,533
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK8,796
- Net moves+1,737
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 286 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
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
65 schools · 26,533 pupils
41 primary · 7 secondary · 17 other
Ofsted: 19 of 22 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (86%)
52 inspected 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
991 CQC-registered services
- Care homes342
- GP practices107
- Dentists220
- 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 (Handcross)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 11 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
291 applications decided
90.7% granted · 264 granted, 27 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Mims Davies
Conservative
East Grinstead and Uckfield
Recent votes:
- NoBudget Resolution No. 15: Charges in connection with employment visas
- NoBudget Resolution No. 8: Capital gains tax (business asset disposal relief)
- NoBudget Resolution No.7: Increase in rate of banking surcharge for temporary period
- NoBudget Resolution No. 3: Income tax (default, property and savings rates)
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
- Schools2
- GPs & clinics1
- Parks & greens30
- Restaurants & cafés4
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
8,340 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
4 jobs advertised · £25,392 avg
e.g. Chef, Catering Assistant, Salaried GP
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£842 median full-time weekly pay
2.1% 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
41% low-carbon electricity
Imports 32% · Wind 31% · Gas 28% · Solar 5%
147 gCO₂/kWh · moderate intensity
Latest estimate for South East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 85.7 yrs women · 82.1 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy (West Sussex): 64.5 women · 63.1 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:
- Permanent driving ban on intoxicated drivers guilty of causing death535 local signatures · 29,985 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks377 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND237 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills217 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
- End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately185 local signatures · 76,640 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Handcross Hill bus crash · 0.0 kmOn 12 July 1906, a bus crashed into a tree on Handcross Hill in Sussex, England, killing 10 people and injuring a further 26 in the worst road crash in Sussex history.
Handcross · 0.0 kmHandcross is a village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A23 road 4.2 miles south of Crawley. At the 2011 Census the population fell within the civil parish of Slaugham.
Nymans · 0.5 kmNymans is an English garden to the south of the village of Handcross, and in the civil parish of Slaugham in West Sussex, England. The garden was developed, starting in the late nineteenth century, by three generation…
Cow Wood and Harry's Wood · 0.8 kmCow Wood and Harry's Wood is a 75.5-hectare (187-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Handcross in West Sussex. it is in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
- Brighton College Prep Handcross · 1.0 km
Brighton College Prep Handcross is an independent co-educational preparatory school in Handcross, between Crawley, Horsham and Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England. The school provides private co-education from the…
- Slaugham · 1.8 km
Slaugham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It is located 7 miles (11 km) to the south of Crawley, on the A23 road to Brighton. The civil parish covers an area of 2,432 h…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Mid Sussex with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Handcross?
- Handcross is a town in West Sussex, England, in the Mid Sussex local authority.
- What is the population of Handcross?
- Handcross has an approximate settlement population of 1,027.
- How deprived is Handcross?
- The Mid Sussex local authority, which includes Handcross, is among the least deprived areas in England on the IoD2025.