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Bedford Counts / Sharnbrook

Sharnbrook · Bedford

Sharnbrook: your neighbourhood

Sharnbrook electoral ward · May 2026 boundaries. Every figure carries its own date.

What stands out here?

People aged 65 or over: 28.2% here, compared with 16.7% across Bedford (11.4 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 from a council or housing association: 7% here, compared with 16% across Bedford (9.1 percentage points lower).

The share of social housing describes the homes already here. It does not show the current waiting list or whether enough suitable homes are available.

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: 42.7% here, compared with 34.7% across Bedford (8 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

28.2%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

Show the workings

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

All usual residents

1,103 out of 3,916.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

4%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

Show the workings

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

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

158 out of 3,913.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

3,917

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

Show the workings

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

All usual residents

3,917 out of 3,917.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

42.7%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

Show the workings

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

Residents aged 16 and over

1,413 out of 3,309.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

43.5%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

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

725 out of 1,666.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

9.5%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

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

159 out of 1,666.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

44.2%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

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

1,463 out of 3,309.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

53.2%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

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

1,761 out of 3,309.

Source and method →

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

2.2%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

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 3,309.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

11.3%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

Show the workings

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

Residents aged 16 and over

373 out of 3,309.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

13%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

Show the workings

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

All households

213 out of 1,664.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

32.1%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

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

1,063 out of 3,309.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

7%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

Show the workings

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

All households

120 out of 1,664.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

2.6%

21 March 2021 · Sharnbrook

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

85 out of 3,309.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

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

158 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 139 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Sharnbrook 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: 11 mapped crimes in September 2024; 9 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 · Sharnbrook
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 2024112
October 202494
November 202470
December 2024154
January 2025131
February 2025161
March 2025176
April 202545
May 2025145
June 202576
July 2025154
August 2025112
September 2025151
October 2025193
November 2025113
December 2025113
January 2026193
February 202661
March 2026141
April 2026153
May 2026125
June 2026151
July 2026127
August 202697
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Sharnbrook
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime85
other theft18
criminal damage arson13
public order11
other crime7
drugs6
vehicle crime6
burglary5
possession of weapons4
theft from the person2
bicycle theft1
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 Bedford →