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Sholing: people, homes and local pressures

13,998 people were counted here in 2021. The figures below describe this ward; wider-area projects and proposals are labelled separately.

Electoral ward · May 2026 · E05015503

Banister & PolygonBargateBassettBevoisBitterne ParkCoxfordFreemantleHarefieldMillbrookPeartreePortswoodRedbridgeShirleySholingSwaythlingThornhillWoolston
Electoral wards · May 2026. Police neighbourhoods and parishes are different boundaries.

Homes rented privately

18%

21 March 2021 · All households

People aged 65 or over

19.2%

21 March 2021 · All usual residents

People reporting bad or very bad health

5%

21 March 2021 · All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

Households facing two or more deprivation measures

19%

21 March 2021 · All households

All Census figures and how they were calculated
Sholing · 2021 Census
MeasureFigureWho or what is counted
People13,998All usual residents. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup
Homes rented privately18%All households. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup
Homes rented from a council or housing association11.6%All households. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup
People aged 65 or over19.2%All usual residents. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup
People reporting bad or very bad health5%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 qualifications19.7%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 equivalent22.8%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 measure53.4%All households. Sum of Census 2021 output areas assigned by the official 2026 ONS best-fit lookup
Households facing two or more deprivation measures19%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

18%

Sholing, compared with 29.2% across southampton unitary authority.

11.3 percentage points lower · 2021 · all households.

Homes rented from a council or housing association

11.6%

Sholing, compared with 21.9% across southampton unitary authority.

10.3 percentage points lower · 2021 · all households.

Crime and safety in Sholing

These are crimes with a published approximate location inside the ward. They do not measure every crime or your personal risk.

1,085

Mapped crimes, excluding anti-social behaviour · latest 12 months ending Aug 2026

+6.1%

Change against the previous 12 months

81

Anti-social behaviour reports · counted separately

063125Sept 2024Aug 2026
See the figures
Monthly mapped crimes in Sholing, excluding anti-social behaviour
PeriodValue
Sept 202472
Oct 202455
Nov 202484
Dec 202474
Jan 2025102
Feb 202574
Mar 202585
Apr 2025105
May 202580
Jun 202571
Jul 2025116
Aug 2025105
Sept 202565
Oct 202585
Nov 2025105
Dec 202587
Jan 202689
Feb 202679
Mar 202698
Apr 202696
May 2026102
Jun 202677
Jul 2026101
Aug 2026101
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.

77.5 mapped crimes per 1,000 people, using a 21 March 2021 population of 13,998. The population is a dated denominator, not an estimate of the number of people exposed to crime today.

Latest 12 months · categories
CategoryMapped crimes
Violent crime406
Shoplifting273
Public order98
Criminal damage arson80
Vehicle crime49
Other theft47
Burglary47
Other crime33
Drugs18
Robbery14
Possession of weapons11
Bicycle theft5
Theft from the person4
Source, boundary method and downloads →

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.

Townhill Park housing redevelopment →Bargate Quarter redevelopment →

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.

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.

Townhill Park housing redevelopment →Outdoor Sports Centre regeneration →

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.

Northam Rail Bridge replacement →Winchester Road access improvements →

Projects affecting this area

Not verified · evidence dated 2026-10-17

Great Oaks and Vermont special-school expansion

The council programme provides additional specialist education facilities at Vermont Close and the former St Monica site.

Vermont Close and Bay Road, Southampton · Southampton City Council and the schools

Latest evidence: The council programme described two facilities with intended 2026 delivery; the available papers do not establish completed openings.

Next thing to check: Verify each site’s opening, available places and operating arrangements.

Funding, expected benefit and evidence

Budget: A current combined capital and staffing cost is not verified here.

What success would mean: More local specialist places; capacity must be staffed and open before counted as delivered.

A stated aim is not proof that the benefit has happened.

Local area connection

The council report identifies Vermont Close and the former St Monica Bay Road site. Official school-register points intersect Bassett and Sholing respectively in the ONS May2026 boundary service.

The former St Monica school is closed; its retained location is used to identify the redevelopment site, not its current school status. School catchments and beneficiaries extend beyond these wards. Other programmes or satellite sites are not included.

Bassett →Sholing →

Council school expansion report: Vermont Close and Bay Road sites ↗ · checked 2026-10-17

Department for Education: Great Oaks Vermont Close location ↗ · checked 2026-10-17

Department for Education: former St Monica Bay Road location ↗ · checked 2026-10-17

ONS May 2026 wards: point intersection ↗ · checked 2026-10-17

ONS May 2026 wards: point intersection ↗ · checked 2026-10-17

Practical help and responsible organisations →