Findings where this place differs most from its surroundings, with the evidence behind each one. A difference is not a verdict: it is a prompt to look closer.
Neighbourhoodshigh confidence
Lower than England: Share of residents living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England (overall)
Share of residents living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England (overall) is 1.2% in West Oxfordshire (2025), compared with 20.3% in England (19.1 percentage points lower; n = 120,941).
1.2% here20.3% England
How do we know this?
- Source
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (LSOA 2021 ranks and deciles) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2025
- Geography
- Council area, compared with England
- Method
- Summarising deprivation for an area. The Indices of Deprivation rank every LSOA in England; decile 1 contains the most deprived 10 per cent of LSOAs nationally. Ranks and deciles are ordinal, so they are never averaged. An area is described by (1) how many of its LSOAs fall in each national decile, (2) how many of its residents live in LSOAs of each decile (mid-2024 population apportioned to output areas, see the area apportioning method), (3) the share of residents in the most deprived 10 and 20 per cent of LSOAs nationally, and (4) the median decile of residents. IoD is a relative measure of small areas, not of individuals: most people in a deprived LSOA are not deprived and many deprived people live elsewhere. England only. Where an area straddles the England-Wales border the figures cover the English part only and are not published unless 90 per cent of residents are covered.
- Limitations
- none recorded
Educationhigh confidence
Lower than England: Pupils eligible for free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals is 12.9% in West Oxfordshire (2025/26), compared with 24.8% in England (11.9 percentage points lower; n = 18,635).
12.9% here24.8% England
How do we know this?
- Source
- Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data: Establishment records, pupil numbers, FSM, SEN, absence; Ofsted outcomes (Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool))
- Period
- 2025/26
- Geography
- Council area, compared with England
- Method
- Pupil-weighted school measures. FSM, SEN and absence percentages are school-level figures averaged with school roll (January 2026 census) as the weight; KS2 and KS4 measures are averaged with the number of eligible pupils (KS2) or the KS4 cohort as the weight. This equals the share of pupils in the area's schools, not of pupils living in the area. The England value uses the same method on the same files and is the comparator. Suppressed school values are skipped, so coverage differs by measure (the number of schools used is in the notes). Ofsted outcomes are the latest overall grade on record at 31 August 2026; schools inspected under the new report-card framework may carry no single grade.
- Limitations
- Share of pupils at schools in the area; pupil-weighted. From 65 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Homesmedium confidence
Higher than similar council areas: Minor and other planning applications decided on time
Minor and other planning applications decided on time is 97.2% in West Oxfordshire (Year to Jun 2026), compared with 83.0% across five council areas with a similar profile (Rushcliffe, Harborough, Bromsgrove, Winchester, Horsham); 14.2 percentage points higher. It lies outside the range of all five (57.8% to 95.8%).
97.2% here83% five similar council areas: Rushcliffe, Harborough, Bromsgrove, Winchester, Horsham
How do we know this?
- Source
- Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (now Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government): Planning application statistics: live tables PS1 and PS2 (district matters) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- Year to Jun 2026
- Geography
- Council area, compared with five similar council areas: Rushcliffe, Harborough, Bromsgrove, Winchester, Horsham
- Method
- Planning application decisions. Local planning authorities report to government every quarter how many applications for planning permission (district matters: housing, commercial and other development, excluding minerals and waste) they decided, how many they granted and refused, and how many were decided within the statutory time or an agreed extension. We add the four most recent complete quarters (July 2025 to June 2026) and compare with the four before. Percentage granted is granted divided by all decisions, which includes applications withdrawn only if reported as decided; it is a measure of the mix of applications a council receives, not of how fair or permissive it is, because many applications are refused for good reason or amended before decision. Speed is the share decided in time among decisions not covered by a planning performance agreement, shown separately for major developments (10 or more homes, or sites over 1 hectare) and for minor and other applications. Few major decisions are made each year in most authorities, so major-development figures rest on small numbers. National Park authorities and development corporations are separate planning authorities and are not included in the council totals. Wales (Welsh Government development management survey): major plus minor and householder applications over April 2025 to March 2026, summed from four quarterly returns; other consents, pre-application cases and non-material amendments are excluded. "Decided in time" covers all applications and consents decided within the statutory period or an agreed extension. Denbighshire did not supply data. Scotland (Scottish Government annual planning statistics): all applications decided in the financial year 2024/25 (the 2025/26 annual release is not yet out); the share approved is of all applications decided; "local developments decided within two months" and average weeks are for local developments without a processing agreement. Northern Ireland (Department for Infrastructure): applications received and decided by each council in 2025/26, and the share approved of those decided. Each nation counts and classifies applications differently, so the figures describe each nation's own system and should not be compared across borders.
- Limitations
- Planning performance agreements excluded.
- Coverage: England: local planning authorities (district matters), councils only here. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own sources.
- Covers the 12-month window Year to Jun 2026 only.
- Similar areas are the five council areas closest on population size, share aged 65 and over, share aged under 16, share of neighbourhoods in the most deprived 20%, median house price (standardised); this is a convenience comparison, not a like-for-like guarantee.
Homeshigh confidence
Higher than similar council areas: Change in the typical home sale price over a year
Change in the typical home sale price over a year is 8.1% in West Oxfordshire (Year to Oct 2025 vs Year to Oct 2024), compared with -0.9% across five council areas with a similar profile (Rushcliffe, Harborough, Bromsgrove, Winchester, Horsham); 9.0 percentage points higher. It lies outside the range of all five (-2.9% to 0.0%).
8.1% here-0.9% five similar council areas: Rushcliffe, Harborough, Bromsgrove, Winchester, Horsham
How do we know this?
- Source
- HM Land Registry: Price Paid Data (standard price paid, category A) (Open Government Licence v3.0 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, Crown copyright))
- Period
- Year to Oct 2025 vs Year to Oct 2024
- Geography
- Council area, compared with five similar council areas: Rushcliffe, Harborough, Bromsgrove, Winchester, Horsham
- Method
- Price paid medians. Sales are mapped from postcode to each geography exactly. The headline is the median sale price over the latest 12 COMPLETE months (a month is complete when national standard sales are at least 85% of the average of the 24 months before it; currently November 2024 to October 2025) and the 12 months before that. Months after that (Nov 2025 onward in the April 2026 extract) are still being registered and are excluded. Yearly medians use complete calendar years 2016-2024. Medians need at least 10 sales; sales counts are published for any area. Medians describe homes that sold, not all homes, and are not adjusted for the mix of property types, so a change in the median can reflect what was sold. Registration lags completion, so recent months can be revised up. Only standard price paid sales (category A) are included.
- Limitations
- Covers the 12-month window Year to Oct 2025 vs Year to Oct 2024 only.
- Similar areas are the five council areas closest on population size, share aged 65 and over, share aged under 16, share of neighbourhoods in the most deprived 20%, median house price (standardised); this is a convenience comparison, not a like-for-like guarantee.
Communitymedium confidence
Higher than England: Charities based in the area per 1,000 residents
Charities based in the area per 1,000 residents is 4.73 per 1,000 in West Oxfordshire (Oct 2026), compared with 2.69 per 1,000 in England (about 1.8 times the England rate; n = 120,941).
4.7 per 1,000 here2.7 per 1,000 England
How do we know this?
- Source
- Charity Commission for England and Wales; OSCR (Scotland); Charity Commission for Northern Ireland: Registers of charities (registered address, latest income, charitable purposes) (Open Government Licence v3.0 (Charity Commission, OSCR and CCNI terms apply: not the register itself, no direct marketing))
- Period
- Oct 2026
- Geography
- Council area, compared with England
- Method
- Charities in an area. A charity is placed by the postcode of its registered/contact address (or the nearest postcode to its geocoded address; some are placed by the nearest postcode to a geocoded address), so counts show where charities are based, not where they work: a national charity with a London address is counted in London. Income is the latest annual income on the register, summed; it is dominated by a few very large charities. "Declaring the area" counts charities that name the local authority (or its county) as an area of operation on the register; it does not mean services are delivered everywhere in that area. Registered charities only; unregistered community groups, small charities below the registration threshold and removed charities are not counted.
- Limitations
- A charity's recorded location is not necessarily where its services are delivered.
Communityhigh confidence
Lower than South East: Anti-social behaviour per 1,000 residents
Anti-social behaviour per 1,000 residents is 5.90 per 1,000 in West Oxfordshire (Year to Apr 2026), compared with 12.1 per 1,000 in South East (about 49% of the South East rate; n = 120,941).
5.9 per 1,000 here12.1 per 1,000 South East
How do we know this?
- Source
- Police forces of England and Wales via data.police.uk: Street-level crime (12 monthly files) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- Year to Apr 2026
- Geography
- Council area, compared with South East
- Method
- Recorded street crime per 1,000 residents. Counts of crimes in police.uk street-level data for May 2025 to April 2026, matched to 2021 LSOAs by the LSOA code on each record, then split to output areas by population and rolled up (see the area apportioning method). Rates are crimes per 1,000 residents (mid-2024 population) and describe where crimes were recorded, not who committed them or where victims live. High rates occur where many non-residents pass through (town centres, transport hubs, nightlife), so they are not a measure of risk to residents. Crimes with no location (blank LSOA) are excluded; the excluded share by force is in the notes. Greater Manchester Police data are absent from the extract, so those areas have no value. Categories follow police.uk. Anti-social behaviour is incident data, not crime proper, and is included only in the "all categories" rate. 12 months only: no trend is possible and seasonal effects are included.
- Limitations
- Rates use the resident population, so places with many visitors, workers or a busy centre can show higher rates; crimes are recorded where they occur.
- Twelve months of crime data only, so no year-on-year comparison is possible; crimes are recorded where they occur, not by residence of those involved.