Town

Living in Col: Liveability Score 29/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Col scores 29/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is bills: 67/100 against a national town median of 47/100. Broadband falls furthest short: 10/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100.

Col places 9th of 10 in the HS2 postcode district. That sits 21 points below the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the bottom 10% of the towns and villages we score. Below 30/100: healthcare (4), lifestyle (5), transport (10) and schools (11). For the surrounding area, see HS2 postcode district.

29
OUT OF 100
Poor
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.

Col scores 29 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Col.
Or compare:
HS2 0AA HS2 9AA HS2

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
70
Air Quality NO₂ 1 · PM2.5 3.1 · PM10 4.8 µg/m³
89
Green Space 26
Parks None
Sports Pitches Adequate 2
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Some 2

Services

Schools
11
1 school in area
1Good
  • Back SchoolOther · inspected 2019
    Good
Healthcare
4
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service264.1 mi
Cumberland Infirmary266.1 mi
Hexham General Hospital279.1 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust237.4 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
Nearest GP surgeryThe Group Practice5.1 mi
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

A&E, dentist and pharmacy data, and CQC ratings, are currently available for England only, not Scotland.

Broadband
10
Full fibre (FTTP)9.6%
available across Na h-Eileanan Siar
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
14.2%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
14.2%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.4%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 14 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
63
Employment rate65.7%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed65.7%Unemployed1.3%Retired23.7%Student2.2%Other inactive7.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial35.5%Skilled & technical34.4%Routine & elementary30.1%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications32.5%
Home ownership81.8%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
67
Council tax Na h-Eileanan Siar · 2025-26
A £925
B £1,080
C £1,234
D £1,388
E £1,824
F £2,256
G £2,718
H £3,401
Energy North Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band E
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
10
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

No nearby stations or motorway junctions found.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
5
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes Some 1
Supermarkets & Convenience None
Retail Shopping Some 2
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Col. HM Land Registry's Price Paid dataset covers England and Wales only. Scottish sales are recorded separately by Registers of Scotland, which we don't yet include. This is a gap in the data we hold, not a sign of an inactive market.

Nearby places

Aird Tong 31 2.3 mi away ⇄
Tong 32 2.8 mi away ⇄
Melbost 31 4.5 mi away ⇄
Stornoway 42 5.0 mi away ⇄
Sandwick (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) 0 5.3 mi away ⇄
North Tolsta 41 5.7 mi away ⇄
Swordale 0 5.8 mi away ⇄
Lower Bayble 37 6.2 mi away ⇄
Upper Bayble 0 6.3 mi away ⇄
Barvas 0 9.2 mi away ⇄
Shader 0 11 mi away ⇄
Liurbost 27 11 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Col a nice place to live?

Col scores below average as a place to live. Our liveability score for Col is 29/100, placing it among one of the lower-scoring areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Col?

Among the top-rated schools in Col is Back School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 1 rated schools in Col in total.

Postcode districts in Col

HS2 30 ⇄

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