Living in MK42, Bedford
What the open data says about house prices, schools, crime and flood risk around MK42 in Bedford. Built from the same sources as every property report on this site, not opinion or marketing copy.
- Homes on the streets around central MK42 sold at a median of £292,000 across 85 recorded sales, in line with the England average of £290,000 (HM Land Registry).
- Prices across Bedford are up 3.9% on a year ago (UK House Price Index).
- Of the 50 schools within about 3 miles, 71% are rated Good or Outstanding, against 90% of state schools in England (Ofsted).
- The centre of MK42 is in flood zone 1 (low probability), on the Environment Agency flood map for planning.
- A Band D household in Bedford pays £2,472 in council tax for 2026-27, every precept included (MHCLG).
- Police recorded 307 crimes within roughly a mile of the centre in August 2026, most commonly violent crime (Police.uk).
Figures gathered 10 October 2026, each from the source named in its section.
House prices
Average price in Bedford: £333,824, up 3.9% on a year ago (July 2026). The wider East of England average is £337,518.
Check sold prices for a specific address in MK42 →
See where MK42 ranks across East of England →
Council tax at Band D in Bedford: £2,472 a year (2026-27). Running costs by postcode: council tax, energy, tenure, and the estate charge no listing shows →
Compare MK42 with another district
Sold prices, the price trend, schools, flood zone, Band D council tax and crime for MK42 against any other district, each from the source the section below names.
What actually sold around MK42
85 recorded home sales on the streets around central MK42 in the last 2 years, with a median of £292,000 and a range from £108,000 to £1,035,000. Mostly semi-detached houses.
| Address | Type | Sold for | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 Romsey Way, MK42 9FA | Semi-detached | £309,500 | 14 Aug 2026 |
| 53 Hillesden Avenue, MK42 9AJ | Detached | £385,000 | 5 Aug 2026 |
| 50 Miller Road, MK42 9NZ | Semi-detached | £300,000 | 28 Jul 2026 |
| 7 Miller Court, MK42 9PB | Flat or maisonette | £192,000 | 24 Jul 2026 |
| 17 Belfry Close, MK42 9RQ | Semi-detached | £275,000 | 24 Jul 2026 |
| 3 Churchville Road, MK42 9PT | Terraced | £245,000 | 1 Jul 2026 |
How to read this
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Every sale of a registered property in England and Wales appears here once it completes, so the most recent weeks are always still filling in.
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
Schools nearby
50 schools within 3 miles , of which 71% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
| Nearest well-rated schools | Stage | Ofsted | Distance | Admitted from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Free School | Secondary | Outstanding | 1.1 mi away | 0.6 mi 2026/27 |
| Great Denham Primary School | Primary | Outstanding | 1.9 mi away | 0.85 mi 2026/27 |
| Camestone School | Primary | Good | 0.6 mi away | no figure |
| Springfield Primary School | Primary | Good | 0.7 mi away | no figure |
| Bedford Academy | Secondary | Good | 0.8 mi away | 2.35 mi 2026/27 |
| Balliol Primary School | Primary | Good | 1.4 mi away | 0.51 mi 2026/27 |
Schools in MK42 with a published admission distance
How far away the last child offered a place lived, as the council published it. Tightest first; each name opens the school's page and its postcode checker.
| School | Stage | Admitted from | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balliol Primary School | Primary | 0.51 mi | 2026/27 |
| Bedford Free School | Secondary | 0.6 mi | 2026/27 |
| Shackleton Primary School | Primary | 0.88 mi | 2026/27 |
| Kempston Rural Primary School | Primary | 1.46 mi | 2026/27 |
| Bedford Academy | Secondary | 2.35 mi | 2026/27 |
Will an address here get a place? How far Bedford schools admitted from, school by school →
29 state primary and 8 state secondary schools within range, plus 7 fee-paying schools.
Private schools
7 fee-paying schools within 3 miles: Bedford Girls' School, Bedford Greenacre Independent School, Bedford Modern School, Bedford School, KWS School, Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School and others.
All 7 fee-paying schools near MK42, with ages and admissions →
Fee-paying schools are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted, and the ISI publishes no open data feed. That is why they carry no rating here. A missing grade means we cannot see one, not that the school was judged poorly.
What people here do for work
The most common occupations among working residents, from the 2021 Census. This is occupation rather than industry: it says what people do, not which industries employ them.
| Occupation group | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Professional occupations | 23.0% |
| Associate professional and technical | 14.4% |
| Managers, directors and senior officials | 13.9% |
| Elementary occupations | 10.3% |
| Caring, leisure and other service | 9.5% |
Source: ONS Census 2021, table TS063, for this district's small area.
How MK42 has changed since 2011
The biggest move: owner-occupiers, down 11.4 points since 2011, with England's change beside each line.
How to read this
The census neighbourhood at the centre of MK42 (E01034431, 1,912 residents in 2021, down 29.2% on 2011) on the 2011 and 2021 censuses, with England's own change over the same decade for scale. Each line is a share of the neighbourhood's households or residents, so a growing area and a shrinking one compare fairly. The biggest move here: owner-occupiers, down 11.4 points.
| Measure | 2011 | 2021 | Change | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 71.4% | 60.0% | -11.4 pts | -2.0 pts |
| Households renting privately | 12.3% | 16.8% | +4.5 pts | +3.7 pts |
| Households renting socially | 15.0% | 21.1% | +6.1 pts | -0.6 pts |
| Residents under 15 | 21.5% | 19.2% | -2.3 pts | -0.3 pts |
| Residents 65 and over | 10.1% | 10.1% | 0.0 pts | +2.1 pts |
| Adults with a degree or equivalent | 30.2% | 35.9% | +5.7 pts | +6.5 pts |
| Residents born outside the UK | 16.2% | 22.4% | +6.2 pts | +3.6 pts |
| Residents in good or very good health | 87.3% | 85.3% | -2.0 pts | +0.8 pts |
| Residents in a white ethnic group | 71.2% | 60.1% | -11.1 pts | -4.4 pts |
Office for National Statistics, Census 2011 and Census 2021, Open Government Licence. A district holds many neighbourhoods; the full report for an address shows the one it sits in.
Crime
307 crimes recorded within roughly a mile of central MK42 in August 2026, most commonly violent crime.
Flood risk
Zone 1 (low probability). This is the Environment Agency's flood zone for the area's centre point, an individual property's own risk can differ, especially near a specific watercourse.
Deprivation
This area falls in decile 6 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (moderately deprived ), based on Bedford's figures.
Buses from the centre of MK42
Best-served stop: West End, with 1.0 buses an hour on weekday daytimes.
Evenings, Sundays and routes
The best-served stop within 800 m of the centre of MK42 is West End: 1.0 buses an hour on a weekday daytime, 1.0 in the evening and 1.0 on Sunday daytime; first bus 07:06, last 00:56 after midnight. Routes there: MK1. 5 stops with a scheduled service within that distance.
Departures a passenger can board, from the timetables operators publish to the Department for Transport's Bus Open Data Service, for Tuesday 8 Sep 2026 and Sunday 13 Sep 2026. Scheduled, not observed. Two stops on opposite sides of a road are two stops. The full report does this for the stops within 500 m of an address.
Source: operators' timetables on the Bus Open Data Service (Department for Transport)
GP practices and A&E
3 GP practices within 3.0 km of the centre of MK42. The nearest, London Road Health Centre, has 22,856 registered patients and 3,134 patients per fully qualified GP, against an England median of 2,186.
| Practice | From the centre | Patients | Per qualified GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Road Health Centre | 0.9 mi | 22,856 | 3,134 |
| King Street Surgery | 1.1 mi | 21,011 | 2,081 |
| Ashburnham Road Surgery | 1.4 mi | 4,117 | 2,490 |
Nearest A&E: Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where 63.5% of type 1 attendances were seen within four hours in July 2026; then North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust at 60.7%.
How to read this
NHS England: patients registered at a GP practice (1 Aug 2026), the general practice workforce (July 2026), and A&E attendances by provider, monthly. Fully qualified GPs exclude trainees. Practices are matched by postcode.
Source: NHS England, monthly releases
Council tax and the council's finances
A Band D household in Bedford pays £2,472 for 2026-27, all precepts included, a rise of 5.1% on the year before against an England median rise of 4.8%. Every band for Bedford, and how it compares.
| Year | Band D bill | Rise |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | £1,985 | +4.0% |
| 2022-23 | £2,063 | +3.9% |
| 2023-24 | £2,132 | +3.3% |
| 2024-25 | £2,237 | +4.9% |
| 2025-26 | £2,351 | +5.1% |
| 2026-27 | £2,472 | +5.1% |
No exceptional financial support from government since 2020-21 and no section 114 notice on record for Bedford, as at 7 Sep 2026.
How to read this
A home's own band is on its council tax bill, free to look up at gov.uk/council-tax-bands; the report shows every band's bill at the council beside the home's other checks.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, live council tax tables (Band D, area averages) and the Exceptional Financial Support lists published each year; section 114 notices as published by the councils.
Source: MHCLG live council tax tables and Exceptional Financial Support lists
Common questions about MK42
What is the average house price in MK42?
The average sold price in Bedford is £333,824 as of July 2026, according to the UK House Price Index.
Are house prices rising in MK42?
Prices in Bedford are up 3.9% on a year ago (UK House Price Index).
What do houses actually sell for in MK42?
The median of 85 recorded sales around central MK42 in the last 2 years is £292,000, ranging from £108,000 to £1,035,000 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data).
Are the schools good in MK42?
50 schools sit within 3 miles of central MK42, and 71% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
How much crime is there in MK42?
307 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of central MK42 in August 2026, most commonly violent crime (Police.uk).
Is MK42 at risk of flooding?
Central MK42 sits in Zone 1 (low probability) for river and sea flooding (Environment Agency). Individual addresses vary, so check the full report for a specific property.
Is MK42 a good place to live?
That depends on what you need, so here is what the official data says rather than an opinion: 71% of nearby schools are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted; the median home sells for £292,000; the area sits in decile 6 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation; 307 crimes were recorded within about a mile. Every one of those figures names its source on this page.
Is MK42 safe?
307 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of central MK42 in August 2026, according to Police.uk. The most common category was violent crime. Crime counts follow how many people are around, so a busy district records more than a quiet one of the same size.
Neighbouring districts
Want the full picture for a specific property?
This page covers MK42 as a whole. For sold price history, EPC rating, exact-address crime and flood risk, school catchment areas and 30+ other checks on one specific property, search its full postcode.