# Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone

South Sevenoaks. About 2,436 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 33 square kilometres.

Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone had 2,472 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021).

Ward. Code E05009963. In: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east) › [Sevenoaks](https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks)

## Key figures

- **Population: 2,472** (2021). Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone had 2,472 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). Joint 616th least populated of 8,397. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/penshurst-fordcombe-and-chiddingstone#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 0%** (2022). About 0% of people in Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/penshurst-fordcombe-and-chiddingstone#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 31.8%** (January 2026). In Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone, 31.8% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/penshurst-fordcombe-and-chiddingstone#f-gigabit-coverage
- **Claimant rate: 1.8%** (August 2026). In Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone, 1.8% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026 (ONS via Nomis). UK 3.9%. Source: Claimant count (Nomis), August 2026. Published 15 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/penshurst-fordcombe-and-chiddingstone#f-claimant-rate

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=E05009963) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 0% of people in Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Average house price by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-prices?place=E05009963) (UK House Price Index · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Sevenoaks. The outline is Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone.
- [Crime and ASB by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime?place=E05009963) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone.
- [Population by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=E05009963) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone had 2,472 usual residents at the census.

## How Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone compares

Each ward against every other ward the measure covers.

| Measure | Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 2,472 | 4th least populated | 26 wards, Sevenoaks · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 0% | joint fewest people in radon Affected Areas | 26 wards, Sevenoaks · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 31.8% | 3rd lowest | 26 wards, Sevenoaks · Jan 2026 |
| Claimant rate | 1.8% | joint 5th lowest | 26 wards, Sevenoaks · Aug 2026 |

## Is Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone at a rate of 36.1 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 62.5 per 1,000 people across Sevenoaks.
Across England as a whole, the recorded crime rate was 96.3 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 10 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were violence and sexual offences (30), anti-social behaviour (15) and criminal damage and arson (14).
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.

## Figures for the whole of Sevenoaks

These figures are published for the whole of Sevenoaks, not for each ward, so they describe all of Sevenoaks and not Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone alone. [See Sevenoaks](https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks)

- **Average house price: £535,810** (August 2026). Sevenoaks’s average house price was £535,810 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Up 0.4% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Median full-time pay: £44,581** (2025). Full-time workers living in Sevenoaks earned a median of £44,581 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 55th highest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025.
- **House price to pay: 12.0×** (2025). A home in Sevenoaks costs 12.0 times local full-time pay. 23rd least affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Deprivation score: 14.4** (2025). Sevenoaks has a deprivation score of 14.4 in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG). Joint 86th least deprived of 296. Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025, 2025. Published 30 October 2025.

## Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone in brief

Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone had 2,472 usual residents at the census.
About 0% of people in Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone, 31.8% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.
In Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone, 1.8% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.

## About

- Type: Ward
- Code: E05009963
- Constituency: [Tonbridge †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/tonbridge)
- Council: [Sevenoaks](https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks)
- Region: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 33.00 km²
- People, mid-2024: 2,436*
- Neighbourhoods: 2
- Output areas: 7

* People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact.
† Best fit: the constituency this ward mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow it.

## Next door

[Leigh and Chiddingstone Causeway](https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/leigh-and-chiddingstone-causeway), [Cowden and Hever](https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/cowden-and-hever), [Rusthall & Speldhurst](https://openindex.co.uk/tunbridge-wells/ward/rusthall-and-speldhurst), [Withyham](https://openindex.co.uk/wealden/ward/withyham), [Southborough & Bidborough](https://openindex.co.uk/tunbridge-wells/ward/southborough-and-bidborough), [Brasted, Chevening and Sundridge](https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/brasted-chevening-and-sundridge)

## Latest updates for Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone

- August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026.
- September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026.
- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/E05009963

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/penshurst-fordcombe-and-chiddingstone, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/penshurst-fordcombe-and-chiddingstone#f-population.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/sevenoaks/ward/penshurst-fordcombe-and-chiddingstone