Westwood Close, Shortstown, Bedford, MK42 0JS

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The local area around MK42 0JS is generally consistent with those figures, having a male population of 49.1%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	49.2%	50.9%	1.7%	51.0%	-0.1%
Male	50.8%	49.1%	-1.7%	49.0%	0.1%

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	30%	37.2%	7.2%	37.9%	-0.7%
Married: Opposite sex	54.4%	45.7%	-8.7%	44.2%	1.5%
Separated	2.6%	3.3%	0.7%	2.2%	1.1%
Divorced	11.2%	9.6%	-1.6%	9.1%	0.5%
Widowed	1.9%	4.2%	2.3%	6.1%	-1.9%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	55.5%	47.3%	-8.2%	48.4%	-1.1%
Good health	32.9%	36.9%	4.0%	33.6%	3.3%
Fair health	9.6%	13.1%	3.5%	12.7%	0.4%
Bad health	1.7%	2.3%	0.6%	4.0%	-1.7%
Very bad health	0.3%	0.4%	0.1%	1.2%	-0.8%

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 0JS this area, 9.3% 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	10.2%	9.3%	-0.9%	18.2%	-8.9%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	22.6%	13.8%	-8.8%	9.6%	4.2%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	17.9%	16.9%	-1.0%	13.4%	3.5%
Apprenticeship	3.3%	3.6%	0.3%	5.3%	-1.7%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	13.5%	19.8%	6.3%	16.9%	2.9%
Degree or Similar	26%	35.3%	9.3%	33.8%	1.5%
Other	6.5%	1.3%	-5.2%	2.8%	-1.5%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 76.9% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	0.7%	2%	1.3%	1.1%	0.9%
Chinese	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	0.7%	-0.7%
Indian	4.9%	5.2%	0.3%	3.1%	2.1%
Pakistani	1.5%	0%	-1.5%	2.7%	-2.7%
Other Asian	1.3%	1.6%	0.3%	1.6%	0.0%
Black African	3%	3.6%	0.6%	2.5%	1.1%
Black Caribbean	2.7%	4.3%	1.6%	1.0%	3.3%
Other Black	0%	0.7%	0.7%	0.5%	0.2%
Mixed White and Asian	1%	0.4%	-0.6%	0.8%	-0.4%
Mixed White and African	0.2%	0.5%	0.3%	0.4%	0.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	2%	2.3%	0.3%	0.9%	1.4%
Mixed Other	0.7%	1.2%	0.5%	0.8%	0.4%
White	80.1%	76.9%	-3.2%	81.4%	-4.5%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	1%	0%	-1.0%	0.1%	-0.1%
Other	0.3%	1.4%	1.1%	1.6%	-0.2%

Country of Birth

In this area, 81.7% 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	85%	81.7%	-3.3%	83.2%	-1.5%
European Union	6.1%	8.2%	2.1%	6.1%	2.1%
Rest of Europe	0.3%	1.1%	0.8%	0.8%	0.3%
Africa	2.9%	3.4%	0.5%	2.7%	0.7%
Middle East and Asia	4%	2.7%	-1.3%	5.6%	-2.9%
The Americas and the Caribbean	1%	3%	2.0%	1.3%	1.7%
Oceania	0.7%	0%	-0.7%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	83.8%	81.7%	-2.1%	83.2%	-1.5%
10+ Years	1%	13.5%	12.5%	9.8%	3.7%
5-10 Years	2.7%	2.3%	-0.4%	2.9%	-0.6%
2-5 Years	6.2%	2.3%	-3.9%	2.2%	0.1%
Less than 2 years	6.2%	0.2%	-6.0%	1.9%	-1.7%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	79.9%	76.7%	3.2%
Ireland	0.2%	0.6%	-0.4%
France	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%
Germany	0.5%	0.2%	0.3%
Italy	0.5%	0.6%	-0.1%
Portugal	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Spain	0.7%	0.4%	0.3%
Lithuania	0.9%	0.3%	0.6%
Poland	4.1%	1.3%	2.8%
Romania	0.9%	0.9%	0.0%
Other EU countries	0.2%	1.5%	-1.3%
Other Europe	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
Central and Western Africa	0.9%	0.3%	0.6%
South and Eastern Africa	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
South-East Asia	0.7%	0.2%	0.5%
North America and the Caribbean	0.5%	0.3%	0.2%
No passport held	8.8%	13.5%	-4.7%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	40%	37.2%	2.8%
Christian	45.1%	46.2%	-1.1%
Buddhist	0.5%	0.5%	0.0%
Hindu	0.7%	1.7%	-1.0%
Muslim	3.4%	6.5%	-3.1%
Sikh	4.2%	0.9%	3.3%
Not answered	6%	6.0%	0.0%

Safety

Is Westwood Close Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Westwood Close was 50.3 per 1,000 residents, which is 41.8% lower than the Shortstown average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Westwood Close has the 12th highest crime rate of 28 local areas in Shortstown and the 236th lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 14.4 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -35.7%.

🔎 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 0JS, 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 Westwood Close are based on 66 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for North Bedfordshire.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Westwood Close, Shortstown, Bedford, MK42 0JS

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 0JS

Average Price
£236,779

Semi-Detached
£248,844

Terraced
£234,809

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
£199,605

Estimated Average Property Prices for Westwood Close

Average Price
£234,984

Semi-Detached
£264,230

Terraced
£227,318

Detached
£180,866

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Westwood CloseStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
26 Westwood Close, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£230,000	2024-03-28	£242,675
25 Westwood Close, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£227,500	2024-03-06	£240,038
20 Westwood Close, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£245,000	2023-08-25	£256,725
10 Westwood Close, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£246,000	2022-09-23	£255,966
24 Westwood Close, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£235,000	2022-09-09	£244,521

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 0JS

Employment

MK42 0JS area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 3% 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	216
Part-Time Employee	59
Retired	54
Self-Employed	40
Student (economically inactive)	24
Looking after home or family	18
Unemployed	13
Other	10
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	9
Long-Term Sick or disabled	7

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	56
Education	34
Human health and social work activities	32
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	28
Manufacturing	22
Transport and storage	22
Information and communication	20
Construction	19
Professional, scientific and technical activities	19
Administrative and support service activities	17
Financial and insurance activities	14
Accommodation and food service activities	10
Other	7
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	7
Real estate activities	6
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	2
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	1

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	2,857 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Southway Nursery School Ampthill Road , MK42 9HE	- not rated	3,396 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	3,628 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	- not rated	233 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Shortstown Primary School Beauvais Square , Shortstown MK42 0GS	3out of 4	233 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
King's Oak Primary School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	3out of 4	2,024 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cotton End Forest School High Road , MK45 3AG	- not rated	2,056 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Elstow School Abbey Fields , Elstow MK42 9GP	3out of 4	2,351 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	1,823 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
John Bunyan School Mile Road , MK42 9TR	- not rated	1,870 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	4out of 4	3,712 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Wixams Academy Green Lane , Wixams MK42 6BA	2out of 4	3,823 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	- not rated	3,922 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Kingsbrook Middle School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	- not rated	2,085 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Harrowden Middle School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	- not rated	2,085 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Abbey Middle School Mowbray Road , MK42 9XA	- not rated	2,283 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Silver Jubilee Middle School Acacia Road , MK42 0HU	- not rated	2,408 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Middle School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	- not rated	3,922 yd	Foundation school	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	3,847 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	3,148 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Raleigh Education Centre Raleigh and Southway Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	3,396 yd	Pupil referral unit	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	3,449 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Girls' School Cardington Road , MK42 0BX	- not rated	3,456 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
Teaching Service for Excluded Pupils 2nd Floor, Riverside Suite , County Hall MK42 9AP	- not rated	3,920 yd	Miscellaneous	Not Applicable	Mixed	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		845 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Shortstown Food Bar	Unit 2A, Beauvais Square		289 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Greycote - Shortstown Village Hall Playing Fields SHORTSTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE SHORTSTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE SOUTHCOTE	grass pitches	319 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	100 Mbit/s
Average download speed	139.2 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	350 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	350 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	18.1 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	35 Mbit/s

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