Bedford
§ This page gives an overview of the Bedford local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Bedford lies on the River Great Ouse in Bedfordshire, combining historic heritage with modern town life. Bedford Park and the Embankment provide riverside green spaces, while the town features museums, galleries, and markets. Villages such as Bromham and Turvey add countryside character, while the river valley shapes much of the landscape with meadows, wetlands, and farmland stretching beyond the town.
The administrative boundary of Bedford can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Bedford.
Key Facts about Bedford
What region is Bedford in? Bedford is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Bedford in? Bedford is in the county of Bedfordshire.
Is Bedford a city? No, Bedford is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Bedford? The local government for this district is: Bedford Borough Council (Unitary Authority).
▶ Official website of Bedford Borough Council 🔗 bedford.gov.uk
Which police force covers Bedford? Policing in Bedford is provided by Bedfordshire Police 🔗 beds.police.uk, which serves 3 local authority districts: Bedford ⁞ Central Bedfordshire ⁞ Luton.
Bedford in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Bedford is within one of ITLs Level 2 area, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, that contains the following 5 ITLs Level 3 areas:
(ITL 1) East of England
(ITL 2) ⇒ Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Luton ⁞ Bedford ⁞ Central Bedfordshire ⁞ North and East Hertfordshire ⁞ South West Hertfordshire
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Bedford
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Bedford
Bedford is divided into 28 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Biddenham
- Brickhill
- Bromham
- Castle & Newnham
- Cauldwell
- Clapham & Oakley
- De Parys
- Goldington
- Great Barford
- Great Denham
- Greyfriars
- Harpur
- Harrold
- Kempston Central & East
- Kempston North
- Kempston South
- Kempston West
- Kingsbrook
- Putnoe
- Queens Park
- Renhold & Ravensden
- Riseley
- Riverfield
- Sharnbrook
- Shortstown
- Wixams & Wilstead
- Wootton & Kempston Rural
- Wyboston
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Bedford
Bedford is part-parished: 49 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Biddenham
- Bletsoe
- Bolnhurst and Keysoe
- Brickhill
- Bromham
- Cardington
- Carlton and Chellington
- Clapham
- Colmworth
- Cople
- Cotton End
- Dean and Shelton
- Elstow
- Felmersham
- Great Barford
- Great Denham
- Harrold
- Kempston
- Kempston Rural
- Knotting and Souldrop
- Little Barford
- Little Staughton
- Melchbourne and Yielden
- Milton Ernest
- Oakley
- Odell
- Pavenham
- Pertenhall
- Podington
- Ravensden
- Renhold
- Riseley
- Roxton
- Sharnbrook
- Shortstown
- Stagsden
- Staploe
- Stevington
- Stewartby
- Swineshead
- Thurleigh
- Turvey
- Wilden
- Willington
- Wilshamstead
- Wixams
- Wootton
- Wyboston, Chawston and Colesden
- Wymington
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Bedford
Bedford covers 42 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Backnoe End
- Bedford
- Box End
- Bromham (Bedford)
- Cardington
- Carlton (Bedford)
- Clapham (Bedford)
- Cople
- Cotton End
- Felmersham
- Great Barford *
- Great Denham
- Hargrave *
- Harrold
- Haynes *
- Kempston
- Kempston Hardwick
- Keysoe Row
- Little Staughton
- Milton Ernest
- Oakley (Bedford)
- Pavenham
- Podington
- Riseley (Bedford)
- Roxton
- Rushden *
- Salph End
- Sharnbrook
- Shortstown
- St Neots *
- Stagsden
- Stevington
- Stewartby *
- Turvey *
- Upper Dean
- Willington (Bedford)
- Wilstead
- Wixams *
- Wootton (Bedford) *
- Workhouse End
- Wyboston
- Wymington *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Bedford.)
Bedford compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Bedford compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Bedford has 28 electoral wards.
Bedford has a population of 194,976 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Bedford can be found on the ONS statistics for Bedford.