Waltham Forest
§ This page gives an overview of the Waltham Forest 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 ⁞ Waltham Forest in northeast London is known for its creative community, historic Epping Forest, and lively markets such as Walthamstow Market. It was London’s first Borough of Culture in 2019.
The administrative boundary of Waltham Forest can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Waltham Forest.
Key Facts about Waltham Forest
What region is Waltham Forest in? Waltham Forest is in the Greater London, an administrative region and a ceremonial county in England.
Is Waltham Forest a city? No, Waltham Forest is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Waltham Forest? The local government for this district is: The London Borough of Waltham Forest (London Borough).
▶ Official website of The London Borough of Waltham Forest 🔗 walthamforest.gov.uk
Which police force covers Waltham Forest? Policing in Waltham Forest is provided by Metropolitan Police Service 🔗 met.police.uk, which serves 32 London Boroughs.
Waltham Forest in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Waltham Forest is within an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) London
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Outer London - East and North East
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Redbridge and Waltham Forest
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 Waltham Forest
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, 75 of them are in Greater London (covering 32 London boroughs). We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Waltham Forest
Waltham Forest is divided into 22 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Cann Hall
- Cathall
- Chapel End
- Chingford Green
- Endlebury
- Forest
- Grove Green
- Hale End & Highams Park South
- Hatch Lane & Highams Park North
- High Street
- Higham Hill
- Hoe Street
- Larkswood
- Lea Bridge
- Leyton
- Leytonstone
- Markhouse
- St James
- Upper Walthamstow
- Valley
- William Morris
- Wood Street
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 Waltham Forest
Waltham Forest is entirely unparished—there are no civil parishes in this local authority district.
Parishes are the lowest tier of local government; where they don’t exist, those very local services and representation sit directly with the principal council.
Built-up Areas in Waltham Forest
Waltham Forest covers 6 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Enfield *
- Hackney *
- Haringey *
- Newham *
- Redbridge *
- Waltham Forest *
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 Waltham Forest.)
Waltham Forest compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Waltham Forest compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Waltham Forest has 22 electoral wards.
Waltham Forest has a population of 279,737 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Waltham Forest can be found on the ONS statistics for Waltham Forest.