Dewsbury Central & Westborough
Kirklees 017 · 4 sub-areas · 7,715 residents
Kirklees 017 is a neighbourhood within Kirklees, Yorkshire, home to around 7,700 people and significantly more affordable than most of England. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £691 a month — well under half the UK national median for a 2-bed — though rents rose by around 10.5% in the past year, so the gap is narrowing.
Dewsbury Central & Westborough is a commuter neighbourhood within Kirklees — train into Leeds runs in around 19 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 Dewsbury Central & Westborough?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; 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 £759 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 4 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Dewsbury Central & Westborough in Kirklees
Living in Dewsbury Central & Westborough
This part of Kirklees sits firmly at the affordable end of the Yorkshire rental market. The overall feel is residential and working-class, with a notable share of families and younger adults — over a quarter of residents are under 18, and a similar proportion are in the 18–34 bracket. It's the kind of area where you'll find a mix of owner-occupiers, private renters, and social housing tenants living side by side, rather than the gentrified pockets you'd find in some nearby towns.
The cost picture is one of the area's most striking features. A median monthly rent of around £759 across all property sizes puts this well below the regional and national average. For context, a typical 2-bed here runs roughly £691 a month — less than half what you'd pay in central London or many south-east commuter towns. That said, renters should note that rents climbed about 10.5% over the past year, so the affordability advantage isn't static.
Who lives here? The community is noticeably diverse — an ethnic diversity index of 52.5 and around one in four residents born outside the UK points to a genuinely mixed population. Just under half of households own their home outright or with a mortgage, with nearly a fifth in social housing and around a third renting privately. Single-person households account for well over a third of all homes. The area sits in the second deprivation decile nationally, which means it faces real economic pressures — unemployment claimant rates run at around 4.7% — but that also feeds into the relatively low cost of living.
Practically speaking, the nearest mainline rail station is under 700 metres away — roughly an eight-minute walk — which is a genuine asset for getting around without a car. Most residents still commute by car (over half), but the rail connection keeps the area reasonably connected to Leeds and Manchester. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on how costs and character vary across the neighbourhood.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Kirklees 017 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. It's genuinely affordable — a 2-bed averages around £691 a month — with a mainline rail station under ten minutes' walk away. The trade-off is a higher-than-average crime rate and a relatively low share of Ofsted-rated Good or Outstanding schools nearby. It suits people who value low costs and good rail access over premium amenities.
- What is the rent in Kirklees 017?
- A one-bedroom typically runs around £566 a month, a two-bedroom about £691, and a three-bedroom around £839. The median across all sizes is roughly £759. Rents rose around 10.5% in the past year, so these figures are moving. Note these are estimates scaled from council-level data using local sale prices.
- Is Kirklees 017 safe?
- The crime rate runs at around 290 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — well above the UK national average of roughly 80. The area sits in the second deprivation decile nationally, which correlates with higher crime across similar neighbourhoods. Rates can vary street by street, so it's worth checking local police data for specific addresses you're considering.
- What's the commute from Kirklees 017 to Manchester?
- By public transport, Manchester is around 46 minutes away. The nearest mainline rail station is less than 700 metres from the centre of the neighbourhood — roughly an eight-minute walk — which makes the connection reasonably straightforward. Most residents still drive, but the rail option is there.
- Who lives in Kirklees 017?
- A diverse mix — over half the residents belong to non-white-British ethnic groups, and around one in four was born outside the UK. The population skews young, with over a quarter under 18. About half of households own their home, nearly one in five is in social housing, and a third rent privately. Single-person households make up well over a third of all homes.
- What schools are near Kirklees 017?
- There are 94 schools within 2 km, so proximity isn't the issue — quality is. Only around 28% of those nearby schools are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, well below the national share of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is approximately 4 km away. Families should check individual school inspection reports before committing.
- How affordable is buying a home in Kirklees 017?
- Very affordable by English standards. The median sale price is around £109,000, and at current income levels, buyers are typically saving for roughly 1.8 years to reach a deposit. That's among the lower end of the deposit timeline nationally and a sharp contrast to the south-east, where the same calculation often runs to a decade.