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Central Bedfordshire Counts / Meppershall & Shillington

Meppershall & Shillington · Central Bedfordshire

Meppershall & Shillington: your neighbourhood

Meppershall & Shillington electoral ward · May 2026 boundaries. Every figure carries its own date.

What stands out here?

People aged 65 or over: 21.9% here, compared with 18% across Central Bedfordshire (3.9 percentage points higher).

Age helps locate demand for accessible homes, transport and support. Being older does not itself mean someone needs care.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

Homes rented privately: 10% here, compared with 14% across Central Bedfordshire (3.4 percentage points lower).

A larger private-rented sector changes the mix of housing advice, enforcement and tenant support needed. It does not tell us whether individual homes are affordable or safe.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent: 36.5% here, compared with 33.2% across Central Bedfordshire (3.3 percentage points higher).

Qualifications show local skills, not whether people have secure jobs or use those skills at work.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

The ward in numbers

People aged 65 or over

21.9%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

Complete Census output-area counts summed using official 2026 best-fit ward lookup

All usual residents

1,025 out of 4,676.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

3.7%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

Complete Census output-area counts summed using official 2026 best-fit ward lookup

All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

172 out of 4,691.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

4,685

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

Complete Census output-area counts summed using official 2026 best-fit ward lookup

All usual residents

4,685 out of 4,685.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

36.5%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

Complete Census output-area counts summed using official 2026 best-fit ward lookup

Residents aged 16 and over

1,404 out of 3,844.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

42.1%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Complete Census output-area counts summed using official 2026 best-fit ward lookup

All households

808 out of 1,919.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

10.5%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Complete Census output-area counts summed using official 2026 best-fit ward lookup

All households

202 out of 1,919.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

35.8%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

1,378 out of 3,847.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

62.1%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

2,389 out of 3,847.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ not working because of long-term illness or disability

1.9%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

72 out of 3,847.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

12.5%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

Complete Census output-area counts summed using official 2026 best-fit ward lookup

Residents aged 16 and over

481 out of 3,844.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

10%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

Complete Census output-area counts summed using official 2026 best-fit ward lookup

All households

199 out of 1,926.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

25.8%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

993 out of 3,847.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

13%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

Complete Census output-area counts summed using official 2026 best-fit ward lookup

All households

241 out of 1,926.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

2.1%

21 March 2021 · Meppershall & Shillington

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly. Unemployed residents as a share of all residents aged 16+; this is not the unemployment rate among economically active people.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

80 out of 3,847.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

Police-recorded locations for Meppershall & Shillington ward. Locations are approximate; these are not all crimes or a measure of personal risk.

193 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 175 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Meppershall & Shillington ward · mapped crimes

Reviewed figures: September 2024 to August 2026. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: 8 mapped crimes in September 2024; 8 mapped crimes in August 2026. These are recorded counts; check the coverage notes before comparing periods.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Monthly crime and anti-social behaviour
Recorded locations by month · Meppershall & Shillington
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 202485
October 202497
November 2024123
December 202460
January 2025122
February 2025141
March 2025181
April 2025173
May 2025185
June 2025148
July 2025286
August 2025193
September 2025174
October 2025173
November 2025143
December 2025184
January 2026180
February 2026225
March 2026203
April 2026134
May 2026205
June 2026142
July 2026129
August 202687
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Meppershall & Shillington
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime104
criminal damage arson19
burglary14
other theft12
public order12
vehicle crime11
other crime11
drugs6
theft from the person2
possession of weapons1
robbery1
What these numbers include

Approximate published locations, not every crime or personal risk.

Anti-social behaviour is separate. Transport police and unusable locations excluded.

An empty ward count means no mapped rows in the complete required force files; it does not prove that no crime occurred.

These are retrieved mapped records, not a guarantee of complete crime reporting. Approximate locations and unmapped incidents limit comparisons.

Missing ward-months invalidate totals and changes. Busy centres attract visitors, so residential population is not a measure of the number of people exposed.

Police data and method →

What could improve local safety →

Projects and proposed responses

A nearby project is not proof of a benefit to the whole ward. Only source-supported ward links are attached here.

No project boundary has been verified against this ward. See projects and their stated locations →

Proposed responses across Central Bedfordshire →