Ashton Central
Tameside 013 · 6 sub-areas · 12,232 residents
Tameside 013 is a densely populated neighbourhood within Tameside, home to around 12,200 people. A typical two-bedroom property lets for about £871 a month — well below the UK median for a 2-bed — and the area stands out for its unusually high concentration of social housing and one of the lowest crime rates you'll find anywhere in Greater Manchester.
Ashton Central is a commuter neighbourhood within Tameside — train into Manchester runs in around 12 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in Ashton Central?
4 parks and 1 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £917 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 6 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Ashton Central in Tameside
Living in Ashton Central
This part of Tameside has a character shaped largely by its housing mix. With over 40% of homes in social rent, it's one of the most socially rented neighbourhoods in the region — quite different from the owner-occupier suburbs that surround much of Tameside. That means a more settled, community-rooted feel in some parts, and a distinctly working-class profile throughout.
Rents here sit noticeably below the national average. A two-bedroom property runs around £871 a month, and a one-bed is achievable for roughly £674. For context, the UK median 2-bed rent is around £1,200, so you're paying significantly less for broadly similar space. The trade-off is that the neighbourhood scores poorly on the Index of Multiple Deprivation — an IMD score of 59.2, placing it in the bottom decile nationally, which reflects lower incomes, higher unemployment, and more limited local economic opportunity than most of Greater Manchester.
The population skews young — over a quarter of residents are under 18, and a further quarter are aged 18 to 34. Single-person households account for more than 42% of the total, which is high and points to a mix of younger renters and older individuals living alone. Degree-level qualifications are held by around one in five residents, below the national average, and median resident earnings sit at roughly £29,900 a year.
Practically, the location works well for Manchester commuters. The nearest rail station is under 800 metres away (about a 10-minute walk), and the public transport journey into Manchester city centre takes around 14 minutes. A Metrolink stop is also under 600 metres away. Broadband coverage is excellent — 100% gigabit-capable — and greenspace is genuinely close, with the nearest park or open space within 250 metres and around 70% of residents within easy walking distance of green areas. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Tameside 013 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. The area is affordable, has genuinely low crime, and is well-connected to Manchester by rail and Metrolink. The trade-off is that it ranks in the bottom national decile on the deprivation index, with fewer local economic opportunities and a lower share of well-rated nearby schools than most of Greater Manchester.
- What is the rent in Tameside 013?
- A one-bedroom property averages around £674 a month, a two-bedroom around £871, and a three-bedroom around £1,045. These are estimates based on local sale prices scaled from council-level data. Rents rose about 7.8% in the past year, so allow for continued upward pressure.
- Is Tameside 013 safe?
- Crime is exceptionally low here — recorded at around 0.8 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, compared to a UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. That makes it one of the lowest-crime neighbourhoods in Greater Manchester by this measure, though local reporting rates and recording practices can affect comparisons.
- What's the commute from Tameside 013 to Manchester city centre?
- The public transport journey into Manchester takes around 14 minutes. The nearest rail station is approximately 800 metres away — about a 10-minute walk — and there's also a Metrolink stop under 600 metres away. Despite the short commute, nearly half of residents drive to work.
- Who lives in Tameside 013?
- The neighbourhood is predominantly working-class, with a high share of social renters (nearly 43% of households) and a young population — over a quarter are under 18. Single-person households are common at over 42% of all homes. Around a third of residents were born outside the UK, giving the area more ethnic diversity than much of surrounding Tameside.
- What schools are near Tameside 013?
- There are 94 schools within 2km of typical residents, so options aren't scarce. Around 37% of those are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 2km away. Checking individual school ratings directly on the Ofsted website is advisable before choosing a home based on catchment.
- Is Tameside 013 good for first-time buyers?
- It's one of the more accessible areas in Greater Manchester for buyers. The median sale price is around £165,600, and the deposit-to-savings ratio — based on local incomes — is approximately 2.8 years. That compares favourably to most of the North West and very favourably to southern England.