Homes rented privately
43.7%21 March 2021 · All households
Portswood: people, homes and local pressures
13,072 people were counted here in 2021. The figures below describe this ward; wider-area projects and proposals are labelled separately.
Electoral ward · May 2026 · E05015500
People aged 65 or over
15.4%21 March 2021 · All usual residents
People reporting bad or very bad health
4.8%21 March 2021 · All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised
Households facing two or more deprivation measures
17.6%21 March 2021 · All households
All Census figures and how they were calculated
| Measure | Figure | Who or what is counted |
|---|---|---|
| People | 13,072 | All usual residents. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup |
| Homes rented privately | 43.7% | All households. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup |
| Homes rented from a council or housing association | 14.1% | All households. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup |
| People aged 65 or over | 15.4% | All usual residents. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup |
| People reporting bad or very bad health | 4.8% | All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup |
| People with no qualifications | 13.4% | Residents aged 16 and over. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup |
| People with a degree or equivalent | 42.4% | Residents aged 16 and over. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup |
| Households facing at least one deprivation measure | 51.7% | All households. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup |
| Households facing two or more deprivation measures | 17.6% | All households. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup |
Household deprivation covers education, employment, health and housing. One or more and two or more are different measures. Census answers and boundary aggregation carry uncertainty.
Sources and methods →What stands out in this ward?
Two of the largest differences from southampton unitary authority among the Census measures shown here. These describe the population in 2021, not why the differences exist.
Homes rented privately
43.7%Portswood, compared with 29.2% across southampton unitary authority.
14.5 percentage points higher · 2021 · all households.
People with a degree or equivalent
42.4%Portswood, compared with 31.6% across southampton unitary authority.
10.7 percentage points higher · 2021 · residents aged 16 and over.
Crime and safety in Portswood
These are crimes with a published approximate location inside the ward. They do not measure every crime or your personal risk.
Mapped crimes, excluding anti-social behaviour · latest 12 months ending Aug 2026
Change against the previous 12 months
Anti-social behaviour reports · counted separately
See the figures
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Sept 2024 | 136 |
| Oct 2024 | 148 |
| Nov 2024 | 139 |
| Dec 2024 | 140 |
| Jan 2025 | 137 |
| Feb 2025 | 102 |
| Mar 2025 | 136 |
| Apr 2025 | 129 |
| May 2025 | 113 |
| Jun 2025 | 149 |
| Jul 2025 | 135 |
| Aug 2025 | 141 |
| Sept 2025 | 143 |
| Oct 2025 | 148 |
| Nov 2025 | 145 |
| Dec 2025 | 117 |
| Jan 2026 | 138 |
| Feb 2026 | 120 |
| Mar 2026 | 152 |
| Apr 2026 | 128 |
| May 2026 | 122 |
| Jun 2026 | 136 |
| Jul 2026 | 122 |
| Aug 2026 | 166 |
Categories and how to read these figures
Mapped police records only; approximate locations; excludes BTP and unmapped offences. ASB is separate. Rates use Census 2021 residents, not current residents, commuters or visitors. Not a measure of personal risk.
125.2 mapped crimes per 1,000 people, using a 21 March 2021 population of 13,072. The population is a dated denominator, not an estimate of the number of people exposed to crime today.
| Category | Mapped crimes |
|---|---|
| Violent crime | 585 |
| Shoplifting | 245 |
| Public order | 158 |
| Criminal damage arson | 133 |
| Other theft | 133 |
| Vehicle crime | 111 |
| Burglary | 75 |
| Drugs | 48 |
| Bicycle theft | 43 |
| Robbery | 34 |
| Other crime | 32 |
| Possession of weapons | 27 |
| Theft from the person | 13 |
What could change here?
These are southampton unitary authority responses. They are relevant context, not a claim that each service or project operates in this ward.
Weakness · Southampton
Too few homes are reaching residents
Housing delivery was 30% of the assessed requirement; 414 households were in temporary accommodation.
The figures cover different periods, but both point to housing pressure. Planning permission, construction and a home being occupied are separate steps.
Evidence and related projects
Housing Delivery Test result: 30% · HDT 2025 (2022/23–2024/25) · Southampton. Housing Delivery Test result. Published measurement; homes include communal-accommodation equivalents, displayed rounded as in the official table. Consequence: Presumption.
Households in temporary accommodation: 414 · 31 March 2026 · Southampton. Households in temporary accommodation. Statutory homelessness administrative data. Quarterly assessment flows and point-in-time temporary accommodation are different measures. The denominator is the published household estimate, not population. National counts are rounded; suppressed cells are not zero.
Average monthly private rent: £1,257 · August 2026 · Southampton. Average monthly private rent. ONS Price Index of Private Rents; existing and new tenancies, not asking rents.
Median house price / median resident annual earnings: 7 · 2025 · Southampton. Median house price / median resident annual earnings. Median price paid for properties divided by median gross annual full-time employee earnings of residents. This is not a household mortgage multiple, workplace earnings ratio or ratio computed from the monthly house-price index.
- Council: 2026/27 Housing Revenue Account budget report, paragraphs 53–54 ↗ · checked 2026-10-17 · published 2026-02-16
Report version dated in filename; paragraph 53 identifies delivery partners and paragraph 54 describes planned applications, not completed homes.
- Council: Bargate development traffic proposals, statement of reasons ↗ · checked 2026-10-17 · published 2026-05-29
Proposed traffic-order consultation evidence; it confirms development was underway, not completion or that the road order was subsequently made.
- UK Facts: existing Southampton strengths and pressures ↗ · checked 2026-10-17
Editorial continuity reference. Local actions below develop existing housing, inequality, transport, regeneration, care and flood themes; this is not an external source for statistics.
- MHCLG ↗ · checked 2026-10-03 · published 2026-08-17
Imported from the published Southampton Counts evidence register; the original review date is retained. Evidence file/hash/table details remain in the full baseline download.
- MHCLG ↗ · checked 2026-10-03 · published 2026-08-13
Imported from the published Southampton Counts evidence register; the original review date is retained. Evidence file/hash/table details remain in the full baseline download.
- ONS / HM Land Registry ↗ · checked 2026-10-03
Imported from the published Southampton Counts evidence register; the original review date is retained. Evidence file/hash/table details remain in the full baseline download.
- ONS ↗ · checked 2026-10-03 · published 2026-03-26
Imported from the published Southampton Counts evidence register; the original review date is retained. Evidence file/hash/table details remain in the full baseline download.
Weakness · Southampton
Neighbourhoods do not share the same starting point
Child poverty after housing costs was 45.2% in Bevois and 19.3% in Bassett in the financial year ending 2025.
City averages hide a large gap. Local support and affordable housing should be judged by who benefits, not only by totals across Southampton.
Turn housing plans into occupied, affordable homes →Make local facilities usable by the whole city →
Evidence and related projects
Children in relative low income after housing costs (%): 31% · FYE 2025 · Southampton. Children in relative low income after housing costs (%). Children aged under 16 in relative low-income families; income below 60% of the contemporary median. DWP calibrates to HBAI. Disclosure control means ward totals may not equal city totals. FYE 2025 rates use mid-2024 population denominators; the tables use May 2024 ward boundaries. BHC and AHC are distinct measures. Historical values in this release have been revised.
Children in low-income families after housing costs: 45.2% · Financial year ending 2025 · Bevois electoral ward. Share of children under 16 living in families below the published relative low-income threshold after housing costs. DWP May 2024 and ONS May 2025 ward codes match the mapped boundaries. Counts are disclosure-controlled; ward totals may differ from city totals. Population is an estimate, not an exact headcount. Ward population uses the November 2025 release; city trends use the July 2026 revision. Same-year totals may differ between those vintages.
Children in low-income families after housing costs: 19.3% · Financial year ending 2025 · Bassett electoral ward. Share of children under 16 living in families below the published relative low-income threshold after housing costs. DWP May 2024 and ONS May 2025 ward codes match the mapped boundaries. Counts are disclosure-controlled; ward totals may differ from city totals. Population is an estimate, not an exact headcount. Ward population uses the November 2025 release; city trends use the July 2026 revision. Same-year totals may differ between those vintages.
- UK Facts: existing Southampton strengths and pressures ↗ · checked 2026-10-17
Editorial continuity reference. Local actions below develop existing housing, inequality, transport, regeneration, care and flood themes; this is not an external source for statistics.
- DWP ↗ · checked 2026-10-03 · published 2026-03-26
Imported from the published Southampton Counts evidence register; the original review date is retained. Evidence file/hash/table details remain in the full baseline download.
Threat · Southampton
Ageing infrastructure can disrupt everyday journeys
Northam Rail Bridge is reaching the end of its operational life; replacement still needed funding approval in the March 2026 update.
The proposed bridges would improve walking, cycling and bus connections. They should not be presented as funded construction until that decision is evidenced.
Evidence and related projects
Local bus passenger journeys: 22,200,000 · 2024/25 · Southampton. Local bus passenger journeys. Journeys on services in the city; includes repeat trips and visitors, not unique residents.
- Council: Northam Rail Bridge funding update ↗ · checked 2026-10-17 · published 2026-03-26
Official council publication read through indexed publisher text; direct council HTML retrieval returned 403. Publication dates and current delivery status are not interchangeable. The council says funding approval is still required.
- UK Facts: existing Southampton strengths and pressures ↗ · checked 2026-10-17
Editorial continuity reference. Local actions below develop existing housing, inequality, transport, regeneration, care and flood themes; this is not an external source for statistics.
- Southampton City Council / DfT ↗ · checked 2026-10-03
Imported from the published Southampton Counts evidence register; the original review date is retained. Evidence file/hash/table details remain in the full baseline download.
Projects affecting this area
No project has yet been verified against this ward’s boundary. See the wider-area project register; each project states its location.