The Links, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 7LR

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK42 7LR has a slightly higher male population, with 51.9% of residents 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	53.2%	48.1%	-5.1%	51.0%	-2.9%
Male	46.8%	51.9%	5.1%	49.0%	2.9%

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	32.5%	36%	3.5%	37.9%	-1.9%
Married: Opposite sex	50.2%	47.5%	-2.7%	44.2%	3.3%
Separated	3%	2.5%	-0.5%	2.2%	0.3%
Divorced	9.4%	8.3%	-1.1%	9.1%	-0.8%
Widowed	4.9%	5.8%	0.9%	6.1%	-0.3%

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 (88%) 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	45.3%	51.4%	6.1%	48.4%	3.0%
Good health	39.3%	36.6%	-2.7%	33.6%	3.0%
Fair health	10.5%	9.7%	-0.8%	12.7%	-3.0%
Bad health	3.9%	1.7%	-2.2%	4.0%	-2.3%
Very bad health	0.9%	0.6%	-0.3%	1.2%	-0.6%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	17.4%	21.7%	4.3%	18.2%	3.5%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	20.4%	15.9%	-4.5%	9.6%	6.3%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	15.1%	12.3%	-2.8%	13.4%	-1.1%
Apprenticeship	6.4%	4.7%	-1.7%	5.3%	-0.6%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	14%	18.1%	4.1%	16.9%	1.2%
Degree or Similar	20.8%	23.6%	2.8%	33.8%	-10.2%
Other	6%	3.6%	-2.4%	2.8%	0.8%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 70.9% 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)
Chinese	0.6%	0.9%	0.3%	0.7%	0.2%
Indian	13.2%	19.1%	5.9%	3.1%	16.0%
Pakistani	0.9%	1.4%	0.5%	2.7%	-1.3%
Other Asian	0.6%	0.6%	0.0%	1.6%	-1.0%
Black African	1.5%	0.9%	-0.6%	2.5%	-1.6%
Black Caribbean	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	1.0%	-1.0%
Other Black	0.9%	1.1%	0.2%	0.5%	0.6%
Mixed White and Asian	1.2%	2%	0.8%	0.8%	1.2%
Mixed White and African	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.4%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.8%	2.6%	0.8%	0.9%	1.7%
Mixed Other	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.8%
White	77.5%	70.9%	-6.6%	81.4%	-10.5%
Other	1.2%	0.3%	-0.9%	1.6%	-1.3%

Country of Birth

In this area, 78.1% 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	85.6%	78.1%	-7.5%	83.2%	-5.1%
European Union	6.6%	9.7%	3.1%	6.1%	3.6%
Rest of Europe	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%	0.8%	-0.5%
Africa	1.5%	1.4%	-0.1%	2.7%	-1.3%
Middle East and Asia	5.4%	10.5%	5.1%	5.6%	4.9%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	1.3%	-1.3%
Oceania	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	85%	78.6%	-6.4%	83.2%	-4.6%
10+ Years	0.3%	12%	11.7%	9.8%	2.2%
5-10 Years	2.1%	4.9%	2.8%	2.9%	2.0%
2-5 Years	2.4%	2.9%	0.5%	2.2%	0.7%
Less than 2 years	10.2%	1.7%	-8.5%	1.9%	-0.2%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	69%	76.7%	-7.7%
Ireland	0.8%	0.6%	0.2%
Italy	2.5%	0.6%	1.9%
Lithuania	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
Poland	2.5%	1.3%	1.2%
Romania	1.7%	0.9%	0.8%
Other EU countries	2%	1.5%	0.5%
South and Eastern Africa	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Southern Asia	6.2%	1.2%	5.0%
No passport held	14.6%	13.5%	1.1%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	27.4%	37.2%	-9.8%
Christian	44.6%	46.2%	-1.6%
Hindu	3.1%	1.7%	1.4%
Muslim	3.7%	6.5%	-2.8%
Sikh	7.9%	0.9%	7.0%
Other religion	2%	0.6%	1.4%
Not answered	11.3%	6.0%	5.3%

Safety

Is The Links Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around The Links was 105.6 per 1,000 residents, which is 16.5% lower than the Kempston Central & East average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

The Links has the 21st highest crime rate of 59 local areas in Kempston Central & East and the 134th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 46.9 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -55.5%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a similar level level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 59% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£47,400

Income Rank
6/10

Household Income in MK42 7LR, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 4/10 (below 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 - 8/10 (high )
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 - 5/10 (average )
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 - 4/10 (below average )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 4/10 (below average )
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 - 4/10 (below 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 The Links are based on 71 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 The Links, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 7LR

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 7LR

Average Price
£381,191

Semi-Detached
£436,468

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£325,914

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for The Links

Average Price
£292,051

Semi-Detached
£318,252

Terraced
£270,552

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on The LinksStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
71 The Links, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£335,000	2025-07-18	£341,168
67 The Links, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£220,000	2015-07-15	£336,701
71 The Links, Bedford, Bedfordshire Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£247,000	2008-04-04	£454,636
71 The Links, Bedford, Bedfordshire Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£109,000	2002-02-22	£352,489

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 7LR

Employment

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	94
Retired	53
Part-Time Employee	47
Self-Employed	24
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	12
Looking after home or family	12
Unemployed	11
Student (economically inactive)	9
Long-Term Sick or disabled	8
Other	5

Employment Industry

Human health and social work activities	35
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	34
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	19
Transport and storage	17
Construction	15
Manufacturing	14
Education	14
Accommodation and food service activities	10
Professional, scientific and technical activities	8
Administrative and support service activities	6
Information and communication	4
Financial and insurance activities	3
Other	2
Real estate activities	1
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Mining and quarrying	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	1,745 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Southway Nursery School Ampthill Road , MK42 9HE	- not rated	2,149 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,175 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Springfield Primary School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7LJ	- not rated	311 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Springfield Primary School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7LJ	3out of 4	311 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Camestone School Jowitt Avenue , Kempston MK42 8NW	3out of 4	424 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Road Primary School Hillgrounds Road , Kempston MK42 8QH	- not rated	730 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Road Primary Academy Hillgrounds Road , Kempston MK42 8QH	2out of 4	791 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	- not rated	269 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Academy Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	1,671 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Hastingsbury Business & Enterprise College Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	- not rated	1,671 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
John Bunyan School Mile Road , MK42 9TR	- not rated	2,614 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	4out of 4	2,656 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Daubeney Middle School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	- not rated	269 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Robert Bruce Middle School Bedford Road , Kempston MK42 8PU	- not rated	1,006 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Robert Bruce Middle School Bedford Road , Kempston MK42 8PU	- not rated	1,006 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Abbey Middle School Mowbray Road , MK42 9XA	- not rated	1,934 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Kingsbrook Middle School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	- not rated	2,863 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	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	2,689 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Grange School Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	- not rated	959 yd	Foundation special school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Grange Academy Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	3out of 4	959 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	- not rated	981 yd	Pupil referral unit	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	3out of 4	981 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Rivertree Free School Hillgrounds Road , Kempston MK42 8QP	- not rated	1,076 yd	Free schools special	Yes	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Caprinos Pizza	44-46 Bunyan Road	495 yd
Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service	Bedfordshire And Luton Fire And Rescue Service, Southfields Road	597 yd
Costa Coffee	234 Saxon Centre, Bedford Road	597 yd
Burger King	Burger King, Interchange Retail Park, 3 Polo Field Way	609 yd
The Hen Pen	2a Cleveland Street	626 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
The Mulberry Bush	The Mulberry Bush, Springfield Centre	150 yd
The Smiths Arms Public House Ltd	The Smiths Arms, 15 Margetts Road	627 yd
The Duke Inn	The Duke Inn, 10 Woburn Road	630 yd
Kempston Constitutional Club	196a Bedford Road	655 yd
Royal Oak	The Royal Oak, 91 Woburn Road	799 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Cinnamon	2 Springfield Centre	150 yd
Mangal BBQ	3 Springfield Centre	150 yd
Kim Hing Takeaway	7 Springfield Centre	150 yd
Domino's Pizza	232 Saxon Centre, Bedford Road	597 yd
The Café Grill	14 Bunyan Road	604 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
J Sainsbury Plc (Main Store)	252-274 Saxon Centre, Bedford Road	597 yd
Tesco	203-207 Bedford Road	723 yd
Co-operative	12-14 St Johns Street	837 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Daubeney Academy ORCHARD STREET	grass pitches, tennis courts	267 yd
Southfield Tennis Courts LAUREL WALK	tennis courts	520 yd
Kempston East Methodist Church 227 227 BEDFORD ROAD		698 yd
Cryselco Sports Field ST. JOHNS AVENUE	grass pitches	896 yd
Grange Academy HALSEY ROAD	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	955 yd
Robert Bruce Middle School (Closed) Bedford Road	grass pitches	988 yd
Addison Howard Park Bedford Road	grass pitches, tennis courts	991 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%

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