Horace Close, Shortstown, Bedford, MK42 0GA

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK42 0GA is primarily male, with 53.7% of the population being male. Several factors can contribute to this, including areas with industries or sectors that predominantly employ men, proximity to universities or technical schools with a higher enrollment of male students, presence of all-male or predominantly male institutions (military academies, boarding schools).

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	53.8%	46.3%	-7.5%	51.0%	-4.7%
Male	46.2%	53.7%	7.5%	49.0%	4.7%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	25.8%	38.1%	12.3%	37.9%	0.2%
Married: Opposite sex	55.5%	44.8%	-10.7%	44.2%	0.6%
Married: Same sex	1.1%	0.8%	-0.3%	0.3%	0.5%
Separated	1.1%	2.1%	1.0%	2.2%	-0.1%
Divorced	11.1%	12.1%	1.0%	9.1%	3.0%
Widowed	5.5%	2.1%	-3.4%	6.1%	-4.0%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (93.3%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	44.4%	58.6%	14.2%	48.4%	10.2%
Good health	38.2%	34.7%	-3.5%	33.6%	1.1%
Fair health	12.9%	4.8%	-8.1%	12.7%	-7.9%
Bad health	3.8%	1.9%	-1.9%	4.0%	-2.1%
Very bad health	0.8%	0%	-0.8%	1.2%	-1.2%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

In the area around MK42 0GA this area, 8.1% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	18.4%	8.1%	-10.3%	18.2%	-10.1%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	16.3%	8.9%	-7.4%	9.6%	-0.7%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	18.4%	17.4%	-1.0%	13.4%	4.0%
Apprenticeship	6.1%	3.8%	-2.3%	5.3%	-1.5%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	10.8%	21.6%	10.8%	16.9%	4.7%
Degree or Similar	24.2%	38.1%	13.9%	33.8%	4.3%
Other	5.8%	2.1%	-3.7%	2.8%	-0.7%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 73.4% of the residents identify as white, which is lower than the UK average of 81.4%, there are significant representations of other ethnic groups.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	0%	2.9%	2.9%	1.1%	1.8%
Chinese	0%	2.2%	2.2%	0.7%	1.5%
Indian	2.2%	8.7%	6.5%	3.1%	5.6%
Pakistani	0%	0.6%	0.6%	2.7%	-2.1%
Other Asian	0.2%	0%	-0.2%	1.6%	-1.6%
Black African	1%	7.1%	6.1%	2.5%	4.6%
Black Caribbean	0%	0.3%	0.3%	1.0%	-0.7%
Other Black	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.5%	-0.2%
Mixed White and Asian	0.6%	0.3%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.5%
Mixed White and African	0.6%	1%	0.4%	0.4%	0.6%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0.4%	1.3%	0.9%	0.9%	0.4%
Mixed Other	0%	1.3%	1.3%	0.8%	0.5%
White	93.8%	73.4%	-20.4%	81.4%	-8.0%
Other	1.2%	0.6%	-0.6%	1.6%	-1.0%

Country of Birth

In this area, 75.1% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is similar to the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	94%	75.1%	-18.9%	83.2%	-8.1%
European Union	2.4%	10.2%	7.8%	6.1%	4.1%
Africa	1%	4.8%	3.8%	2.7%	2.1%
Middle East and Asia	1.4%	8.6%	7.2%	5.6%	3.0%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.8%	1%	0.2%	1.3%	-0.3%
Oceania	0.4%	0.3%	-0.1%	0.3%	0.0%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	94%	74.6%	-19.4%	83.2%	-8.6%
10+ Years	0%	22.2%	22.2%	9.8%	12.4%
5-10 Years	1.2%	1.3%	0.1%	2.9%	-1.6%
2-5 Years	1%	1.9%	0.9%	2.2%	-0.3%
Less than 2 years	3.8%	0%	-3.8%	1.9%	-1.9%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	76.6%	76.7%	-0.1%
Ireland	0.6%	0.6%	0.0%
Italy	1%	0.6%	0.4%
Spain	0.3%	0.4%	-0.1%
Lithuania	3.5%	0.3%	3.2%
Poland	4.8%	1.3%	3.5%
Other EU countries	1.9%	1.5%	0.4%
South and Eastern Africa	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Eastern Asia	1%	0.3%	0.7%
Southern Asia	0.6%	1.2%	-0.6%
Central and South America	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Oceania	0.3%	0.1%	0.2%
No passport held	8.7%	13.5%	-4.8%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	34.4%	37.2%	-2.8%
Christian	50%	46.2%	3.8%
Buddhist	0.6%	0.5%	0.1%
Hindu	2.9%	1.7%	1.2%
Jewish	0.3%	0.5%	-0.2%
Muslim	4.8%	6.5%	-1.7%
Sikh	1.9%	0.9%	1.0%
Other religion	0.6%	0.6%	0.0%
Not answered	4.5%	6.0%	-1.5%

Safety

Is Horace Close Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Horace Close was 318.3 per 1,000 residents, which is 279.5% higher than the Shortstown average. The most reported crime type was Shoplifting.

Horace Close has the highest crime rate of 28 local areas in Shortstown and the 31st highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 28.9 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 593.1%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 80% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£55,000

Income Rank
8/10

Household Income in MK42 0GA, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 6/10 (average )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 5/10 (average )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 7/10 (above average )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 2/10 (very low )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 9/10 (very high )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 9/10 (very high )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 6/10 (average )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 6/10 (average )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 4/10 (below average )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on Horace Close are based on 19 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Bedford.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Horace Close, Shortstown, Bedford, MK42 0GA

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 0GA

Average Price
£347,763

Semi-Detached
£341,869

Terraced
£354,931

Detached
£293,766

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Horace Close

Average Price
£376,795

Semi-Detached
£379,602

Terraced
£380,810

Detached
£310,561

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Horace CloseStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
12 Horace Close, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£290,000	2021-06-28	£347,934
14 Horace Close, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£295,000	2020-09-04	£372,094
2 Horace Close, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£270,000	2020-02-25	£347,143
10 Horace Close, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£282,000	2019-08-15	£363,505
9 Horace Close, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£317,000	2019-02-15	£407,627

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 0GA

Employment

MK42 0GA area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 2% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	139
Self-Employed	23
Part-Time Employee	23
Retired	16
Looking after home or family	13
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	7
Other	5
Student (economically inactive)	5
Unemployed	4
Long-Term Sick or disabled	2

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	52
Construction	32
Human health and social work activities	27
Education	23
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	20
Transport and storage	18
Manufacturing	15
Professional, scientific and technical activities	15
Accommodation and food service activities	10
Information and communication	10
Administrative and support service activities	8
Other	7
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	7
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	6
Financial and insurance activities	4
Real estate activities	3

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,677 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	3,469 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Shortstown Primary School Beauvais Square , Shortstown MK42 0GS	3out of 4	208 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
King's Oak Primary School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	2out of 4	1,794 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Elstow School Abbeyfields Road Abbeyfields , Elstow MK42 9GP	3out of 4	2,348 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Cotton End Forest School High Road , MK45 3AG	3out of 4	2,350 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Shackleton Primary School Pearcey Road , MK42 9LZ	3out of 4	2,595 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	1,665 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	3,480 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	3out of 4	3,914 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Academy Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	3out of 4	3,927 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Wixams Academy Green Lane , Wixams MK42 6BA	- not rated	4,089 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford College Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AH	- not rated	3,615 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
KWS School 51 Brunel Road , Bedford MK41 9TJ	- not rated	2,808 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Girls' School Cardington Road , MK42 0BX	- not rated	3,202 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	3,255 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	4out of 4	4,079 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford School De Parys Avenue , MK40 2TU	- not rated	4,165 yd	Other independent school	No	Boys	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Shake Rattle N roll	Hanger 2, Cardington Airfield		828 yd
W & H Peacock Auction Centre	W&H Peacock Auction House, Wallis Way		968 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Shortstown Food Bar	Unit 2A, Beauvais Square		160 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Greycote - Shortstown Village Hall Playing Fields SHORTSTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE SHORTSTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE SOUTHCOTE	grass pitches	612 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	100.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	79.7 Mbit/s
Average download speed	117.7 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	330 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	330 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	22 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	50 Mbit/s

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.