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Preston · England

City Centre: your area

City Centre ward · Preston. Every figure carries its own date.

Boundary: May 2026. Census and crime records have different dates and purposes.

What makes this ward different?

Homes rented privately: 49% here, compared with 22% across Preston (26.2 percentage points higher).

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 65 or over: 8% here, compared with 14.7% across Preston (6.7 percentage points lower).

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 →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications: 15.1% here, compared with 19.4% across Preston (4.3 percentage points lower).

Formal qualifications are only one part of someone's skills. Training decisions also need current vacancies, employment and residents' experience.

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 people and homes here

People aged 65 or over

8%

21 March 2021 · City Centre ward

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

959 out of 11,939.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

5.6%

21 March 2021 · City Centre ward

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

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

668 out of 11,941.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

11,941

21 March 2021 · City Centre ward

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

11,941 out of 11,941.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

35.7%

21 March 2021 · City Centre ward

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

3,809 out of 10,669.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

57.7%

21 March 2021 · City Centre ward

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

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

2,889 out of 5,004.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

23%

21 March 2021 · City Centre ward

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

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

1,152 out of 5,004.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

15.1%

21 March 2021 · City Centre ward

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,612 out of 10,669.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

49%

21 March 2021 · City Centre ward

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

2,432 out of 5,004.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

22%

21 March 2021 · City Centre ward

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

1,110 out of 5,004.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

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

3,916 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 3,843 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

City Centre 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: 314 mapped crimes in September 2024; 402 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 · City Centre
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 2024314124
October 2024338175
November 2024309161
December 2024348142
January 2025290145
February 2025256121
March 2025329171
April 2025313170
May 2025381192
June 2025341175
July 2025307167
August 2025317140
September 2025318119
October 2025268134
November 2025273115
December 2025356142
January 202627596
February 202632193
March 2026363106
April 202630483
May 2026341110
June 2026340129
July 2026355114
August 2026402143
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · City Centre
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime1,620
shoplifting613
public order367
criminal damage arson288
other theft257
drugs213
vehicle crime120
burglary110
robbery80
other crime71
bicycle theft64
theft from the person59
possession of weapons54
What these numbers include

Approximate published locations, not every crime or personal risk.

Anti-social behaviour is separate. Transport police and records without usable locations are excluded.

Do not compare directly with Scottish council-level recorded crime totals.

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 →

Plans affecting this area

No project footprint has been verified for this ward. See the wider local plans; a nearby site does not automatically mean the whole ward benefits.

The proposed local response →