Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard lies wholly within Central Bedfordshire and is centred on the two towns in its name. It includes all of the main Dunstable wards together with Leighton Buzzard, Linslade, Houghton Hall, Tithe Farm, Parkside and Heath and Reach. The constituency contains two substantial urban centres separated by a stretch of more open countryside and smaller settlements. Dunstable lies immediately west of Luton and close to the Chilterns, while Leighton Buzzard and Linslade form a separate town farther north-west. Road and rail links connect the area with Luton, Milton Keynes and London, while the outer edges retain a more rural Bedfordshire character.
Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.
People and place
A population and household snapshot for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.
Estimated population118,490
EstimateMid-2024 estimate
Region / nationEast of England
Age profile
0 to 1723.1% · 27,417 people
18 to 246.1% · 7,254 people
25 to 3414.3% · 16,986 people
35 to 4922.5% · 26,675 people
50 to 6417.5% · 20,700 people
65 and over16.4% · 19,458 people
Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗
Home ownership and renting
Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.
44,212 householdsCensus 2021
Home owners68.3% · 30,212 households
Private renters15.4% · 6,788 households
Social renters14.7% · 6,484 households
Other tenure1.6% · 728 households
“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.
Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗
Household composition
A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.
44,212 householdsCensus 2021
One-person households26.8% · 11,857 households
Families with dependent children32.0% · 14,140 households
Other single-family households37.4% · 16,539 households
Other household types3.8% · 1,676 households
Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗
Disability and day-to-day activities
The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
107,980 people in the source baseCensus 2021Source comparison: England & Wales
Day-to-day activities limited a lot5.9% · 6,345 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little9.4% · 10,129 people
Not disabled under the Equality Act84.7% · 91,506 people
Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.
Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗
Petitions
Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.
Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.
Open petitionCloses 12 September 2026
Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership
Signatures in this constituency438
Signatures nationally244,689
Government response published · Debate scheduled for 29 June 2026
Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗
Funding and local projects
National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.
The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.
Grants recorded23
Total awarded£763,749
Most recent awards
National Lottery grantAwarded 23 April 2026
Youth Food Skills & Progression Project
Hands of Help CIC
£15,450
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Hands of Help CIC - Children & Young People - National Lottery Awards for All England
National Lottery grantAwarded 2 April 2026
Project H
Houghton Regis Town Council
£20,000
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Houghton Regis Town Council - Community - National Lottery Awards for All England
National Lottery grantAwarded 13 March 2026
Leighton-Linslade Community Wellness Project
Leighton-Linslade Town Council
£10,540
Sport England · Sport
About this award
The project will deliver a place-based Wellness Hub for Leighton-Linslade, providing free, accessible wellbeing support through weekly 45-60 minute group sessions and flexible one-to-one support delivered year-round by qualified practitioners in community venues, outdoor spaces, the Wellbeing Studio and online. Activities will include yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, chair yoga, OTAGO falls-prevention, mindfulness, rehabilitation and targeted courses for young people, older residents, home workers and people with long-term conditions, with session timings tailored to different groups and additional outdoor drop-in sessions in warmer months. Funding will support delivery staff, coordination, promotion, venues, travel and practitioner training.
National Lottery grantAwarded 16 February 2026
ECO SAFE HOMES
RCCG STRONG TOWER SANCTUARY LUTON
£20,000
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
RCCG STRONG TOWER SANCTUARY LUTON - Environment - National Lottery Awards for All England
National Lottery grantAwarded 19 January 2026
‘Harmonic Journeys’ workshops linked to Classical music concert in Milton Keynes
Grant to individual
£9,248
Arts Council England · Arts
About this award
‘Harmonic Journeys’ workshops linked to Classical music concert in Milton Keynes - Music - National Lottery Project Grants
18 more awards are available.
Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗
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