Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is a town in Wiltshire, England, with a population of around 7,314. It has around 1 restaurant and café. The average sold house price is around £367,534, and there were around 63 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 Shaftesbury area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Wiltshire area is less deprived than the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 510,333 residents at roughly 157 people per km².
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 61st of 294 English council areas — better than 79% 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°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 11° / 6° · 21% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 6° · Cloudy
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:04Sunset 16:40
9h 36m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
30US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Bournemouth, 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
61 reported · August 2026▲ 13% YoY
- Anti-social behaviour24
- Violence & sexual offences13
- Shoplifting8
- Criminal damage & arson4
1 stop & searches · mostly stolen goods
Neighbourhood team: Gillingham and Shaftesbury · Dorset
Local policing priorities
- Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Location: Gillingham Issue: Anti-social behaviour remains a persistent issue in parts of the town, impacting…
- Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Location: Shaftesbury Issue: Overall ASB is persistent in parts of the town which is impacting local resident…
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
1,027 reported road collisions (2025)
279 killed or seriously injured · 1,463 casualties · 20.1 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
108 food businesses within 2 miles
- 84 rated 4–5 ★ (79 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Gillingham (6.4 km)
- 4 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Gillingham (Dorset) (6.4 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£328,102 average▲ 1.5% YoY
Across Wiltshire · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,082 average monthly rent▲ 6% YoY
- 1 bed £749
- 2 bed £973
- 3 bed £1,220
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
8.8× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 8.8 times median annual pay (8.6× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
6,957 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: 158.9p · Esso (6.7 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 189.9p · Esso (6.7 km)
3 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
7 charging locations within ~8 km
- 3 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 120 kW
- Nearest: Tesco Superstore-Shaftesbury (0.2 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches20
- Playgrounds11
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
510,333 residents in Wiltshire · 157/km²
- Under 16: 18%
- 16–64: 60%
- 65+: 22%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK25,412
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK23,025
- Net moves+2,387
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Less deprived than the average in England
Ranked 219 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
1% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,572 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (25% of 233,060)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
267 schools · 74,423 pupils
201 primary · 28 secondary · 38 other
Ofsted: 106 of 128 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (83%)
235 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar SchoolOutstanding
- Malmesbury SchoolOutstanding
- Abbeyfield SchoolGood
- Bradon Forest SchoolGood
- Kingsbury Green AcademyGood
- Matravers SchoolGood
- Melksham Oak Community SchoolGood
- Sheldon SchoolGood
- South Wilts Grammar SchoolGood
- St Augustine's Catholic CollegeGood
- The Corsham SchoolGood
- The Trafalgar School at DowntonGood
- The Wellington AcademyGood
- Pewsey Vale SchoolRequires improvement
- St Joseph's Catholic SchoolRequires improvement
- Avon Valley Academy
- Devizes School
- Hardenhuish School
- Kingdown School
- Lavington School
- Royal Wootton Bassett Academy
- Sarum Academy
- St John's Marlborough
- St Laurence School
- The Clarendon Academy
- The John of Gaunt School
- The Stonehenge School
- Wyvern St Edmund's Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Wiltshire
Care & health services
512 CQC-registered services
- Care homes164
- GP practices61
- Dentists98
- Homecare agencies149
- Hospitals & hospices8
CQC ratings: 91% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 4 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Wiltshire
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Shaftesbury Conservation Area 1)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 279 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
906 applications decided
92.6% granted · 839 granted, 67 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Simon Hoare
Conservative
North Dorset
Recent votes:
- NoDraft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
- NoDraft Code of Practice on Access and Unfair Practices During the Recognition and Derecognition Process
- NoNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill: Third Reading
- AyeNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill Committee: New Clause 12
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat / Independent coalition
- Con 38
- LD 42
- Ref 10
- Oth 7
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools4
- GPs & clinics1
- Pharmacies2
- Supermarkets2
- Parks & greens9
- Restaurants & cafés13
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
24,985 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
141 jobs advertised · £38,126 avg
e.g. Financial Services Administrator, Installer, Postal Delivery Driver (Hiring Immediately)
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£751 median full-time weekly pay
2.3% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£27,404 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 · 241,404 certificates
9.5% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
35% low-carbon electricity
Gas 63% · Wind 18% · Biomass 10% · Nuclear 8%
259 gCO₂/kWh · very high intensity
Latest estimate for South England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 85.4 yrs women · 82 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 63.7 women · 63.8 men
64% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.4
- Feeling worthwhile7.7
- Happiness yesterday7.3
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.5
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
4 GP surgeries · 2 pharmacies in SP7
- Hmp Guys Marsh
- Adhd Service - Clinical Partners
- Bnssg Clinical Partners Rtc Adhd
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in North Dorset:
- Permanent driving ban on intoxicated drivers guilty of causing death474 local signatures · 29,985 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks331 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases263 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills198 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth176 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Shaftesbury · 0.3 kmShaftesbury is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, 20 miles west of Salisbury and 23 miles north-northeast of Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hillt…
Gold Hill, Shaftesbury · 0.3 kmGold Hill is a steep cobbled street in the town of Shaftesbury in the English county of Dorset. The view looking down from the top of the street has been described as "one of the most romantic sights in England."
Shaftesbury Town Hall · 0.3 kmShaftesbury Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Shaftsbury Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Shaftesbury F.C. · 0.3 kmShaftesbury Football Club are a football club based in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England. The club is affiliated to the Dorset County Football Association and is a FA chartered Standard club. They are currently members of…
North Dorset (constituency) · 0.3 kmNorth Dorset is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Simon Hoare of the Conservative Party.
Shaftesbury Abbey · 0.4 kmShaftesbury Abbey was an abbey that housed nuns in Shaftesbury, Dorset. It was founded in about 888, and dissolved in 1539 during the English Reformation by the order of Thomas Cromwell, minister to King Henry VIII. A…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Wiltshire with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Shaftesbury?
- Shaftesbury is a town in Wiltshire, England, in the Wiltshire local authority.
- What is the population of Shaftesbury?
- Shaftesbury has an approximate settlement population of 7,314.
- How deprived is Shaftesbury?
- The Wiltshire local authority, which includes Shaftesbury, is less deprived than the average in England on the IoD2025.