Town

Living in Cardington: Liveability Score 31/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Cardington scores 31/100 overall, across 7 scored categories. Broadband falls furthest short: 10/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100. Cardington places 11th of 16 in the MK44 postcode district.

That is 19 points below the national benchmark of 50, the bottom 10% of all UK towns and villages. Healthcare (6), transport (24) and schools (28) all fall below 30/100. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the MK44 postcode district.

31
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Cardington scores 31 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Cardington.
Or compare:
MK44 1AA MK44 2AA MK44 3AA MK44 5AB MK44

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
—

Crime is scored from the last 12 months of police street-level data. Police Scotland does not publish this, and there is no Scottish equivalent of the Police UK open data service, so crime has been left out of the score for this area. This is a gap in published data, not a sign of low crime.

Environment
54
Air Quality NO₂ 7.172 · PM2.5 7.036 · PM10 12.512 µg/m³
71
Green Space 15
Parks Adequate 4
Sports Pitches None
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds None

Services

Schools
28

School inspection data is not available for this area.

Healthcare
6
A&E departmentsBedford Hospital South Wing2.4 mi
Milton Keynes University Hospital15 mi
Luton and Dunstable Hospital15.5 mi
Hospital waitsEast And North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust2.1 mi
Routine referral (median)10 wks
Treated within 18 weeks68.9%
A&E seen within 4 hrs74.7%
Nearest GP surgeryLondon Road Surgery2.2 mi
GP capacity1,693 patients per GP
0dentists0pharmacies

Score reflects proximity to CQC-rated GP surgeries and hospitals, not facility count. Dentists and pharmacies are shown for context but don't affect the score.

Broadband
10
Full fibre (FTTP)70.4%
available across Bedford
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
0%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
0%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.5%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 13 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
—

No official data available for this category.

Bills
34
Council tax Bedford · 2026-27
A £1,648
B £1,923
C £2,197
D £2,472
E £3,021
F £3,571
G £4,120
H £4,944
Energy Eastern England region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band E
Water Anglian Water
Average bill regional £498/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
24
Bedford St Johns 2.5 mi
Bedford 3.2 mi
Kempston Hardwick 4.4 mi
J13 M1 10.3 mi
J13 M1 10.6 mi
J10 A1(M) 11.2 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
32
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes None
Supermarkets & Convenience None
Retail Shopping Some 1
Takeaways None
Fitness Some 1

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House Prices

Not enough recent sales

Fewer than 10 sales were recorded in Cardington in the last 12 months, which isn't enough for a reliable median. Smaller villages often fall below this in any given year. Figures come from HM Land Registry Price Paid data and are updated monthly, so this may fill in later.

Nearby places

Shortstown 43 0.8 mi away ⇄
Cople 34 1.0 mi away ⇄
Cotton End 35 1.6 mi away ⇄
Willington (Bedford) 34 1.9 mi away ⇄
Bedford 59 2.5 mi away ⇄
Workhouse End 32 2.9 mi away ⇄
Wilstead 43 3.0 mi away ⇄
Salph End 32 3.1 mi away ⇄
Moggerhanger 31 3.3 mi away ⇄
Wixams 44 3.4 mi away ⇄
Kempston 56 3.6 mi away ⇄
Great Barford 43 3.7 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Cardington a nice place to live?

Cardington has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Cardington is 31/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

Cardington in context

See the best places to live in Bedfordshire, ranked

Postcode districts in Cardington

MK44 35 ⇄

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