Facts And Figures

Central Bedfordshire lies in the East of England region. At about 40 miles (56 kilometres) north of London, and midway between Oxford and Cambridge, it is at the heart of the historic county of Bedfordshire. Covering an area of some 712 square kilometres, Central Bedfordshire is well positioned, being accessible to a number of important north/south communications routes - the M1 and the A5 in the west and the A1 in the east. The A507 is the main highway for travelling east to west. The district is also served by good regional and national rail links, and it is close to both Luton and Stansted airports.

Central Bedfordshire
 

Population and Age Structure

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Mid year population estimates give population estimates by sex and age are published annually.  These estimates cover the periods between the census, which is undertaken every ten years. Results from the 2006 mid year population estimates (published by the ONS in August 2007) show that there are an estimated  249,200 people in Central Bedfordshire, making it the tenth largest unitary authourity in England.


For further information on population figures visit the National Statistics online website:

Population Estimates and Forecasts 2007

Luton Borough Council and Bedfordshire County Council have jointly produced a report on population forecasts for Bedfordshire and Luton. The report includes the latest population estimates and forecasts at local and minority ethnic level. Below is details of the population forecasts for Central Bedfordshire based on the information from the 'Population Estimates and forecasts 2007' report:

The full report is available on Bedfordshire County Council's website:

Ethnic Structure

The 2001 Census shows that  94.01% of the Central Bedfordshire population is white. 1.31% of the population is Irish. The largest Black and Minority Ethnic groups are Indian (0.63%) Caribbean (0.29%) and Chinese (0.27%). People of mixed ethnicity make up around 0.91% of residents.

A detailed breakdown is available below:

Disability

The 2001 Census shows that 31,489 people living in Central Bedfordshire have a limiting long term illness. Follow the link below for further details and comparisons:

Main Towns

Central Bedfordshire covers an area of 712 square kilometres. The main towns in the area and their population (2006 ONS Mid Year Estimates) are:

  • Leighton Linslade: 36,000
  • Dunstable: 34,600
  • Houghton Regis: 16,940
  • Biggleswade: 16,520
  • Flitwick: 13,220
  • Sandy: 11,610
  • Ampthill: 6,830

The main growth areas in the next few years are expected to in Leighton Linslade (by more than 4,000), Dunstable, Stotfold and Biggleswade. The development of the Wixams in Houghton Conquest is not expected to have an impact until after 2011.

Housing

The Valuation Office Agency of the Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs' valuation list shows there were 105,819 dwellings in Central Bedfordshire in March 2008.

The following shows the number of dwellings falling into each council tax banding:

Deprivation

The Indices of Deprivation (ID), produced in 2004 and 2007, are a key source of information published by Communities and Local Government (CLG).  They are used to measure levels of deprivation using a range of indicators including economic, social and housing issues. The deprivation issues are:

  • Income deprivation - the proportion of people on very low income, e.g. on Income Support or Tax Credit.
  • Employment deprivation - involuntarily excluded from work e.g. receiving Unemployment Benefit.
  • Health deprivation and disability - people whose quality of life is impaired by ill health e.g. emergency admissions to hospitals.
  • Education, skills and training - e.g. low Key stage exam results or not receiving Higher Education.
  • Barriers to housing and services - e.g. overcrowding, affordability or long distances to services such as a supermarket or post office.
  • Crime - measures levels of four key types of crime: burglary, theft, criminal damage and violence.
  • Living Environment Deprivation - e.g. poor housing conditions, road traffic accidents involving injury to pedestrians or cyclists or low air quality.


There are also supplementary Indices measuring income deprivation amongst children and older people:

  • Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI)
  • Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI).


The Indices of Deprivation data is provided for each Super Output Area (SOA) which is a small geographical area contained within the political ward boundary of each authority area in England. This allows each area to be ranked relative to one another according to their level of deprivation.

Out of a total of 32,482 SOA’s in England, Central Bedfordshire has none in the top 10% or top 20% Nationally overall. However we do appear in the top 10% Nationally when we look at specific issues such as Crime, Education, Skills and training and Barriers to Housing and Services. Further information is available below:

The Indices are used widely to analyse patterns of deprivation, identify areas that would benefit from special initiatives or programmes and as a tool to determine eligibility for specific funding streams. For further information please visit the Communities and Local Government (CLG) website by following the link below:

Business Activity and Size

The information on Business Activity and Size in Central Bedfordshire has been compiled using data from a snapshot of the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR) taken on 16 March 2007:

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) maintains the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR), which is a list of UK businesses and is updated from the following sources:

  • Value Added Tax (VAT)
  • Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
  • Company Registrations
  • National Statistics Surveys based on the IDBR

The industrial classifications or descriptions of business activity on the IDBR are determined from responses to surveys, or from administrative data held in VAT and PAYE systems. Further information can be obtained from the ONS website by following the link below:

Education and Schools

There are approximately 37,690 children and young people in state schools in Central Bedfordshire.  This includes those who live outside of the area but go to school in it, and excludes those who go to school in the area of Bedford Borough or outside of the county, or private schools.

For further facts and figures on education and schools in Central Bedfordshire please follow the link below:

You can find out more information about schools and other education services, including addresses of schools, term dates, admissions information, adult education and home education for the whole of Bedfordshire (excluding Luton) on the Bedfordshire County Council website.

Website information

For further information on Central Bedfordshire website statistics please follow the link below:

Linked documents: