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Hilsea: people, homes and local pressures

13,929 people were counted here in 2021. The figures below describe this ward; wider-area projects and proposals are labelled separately.

Electoral ward · May 2026 · E05002449

BaffinsCentral SouthseaCharles DickensCopnorCoshamDrayton and FarlingtonEastney and CraneswaterFrattonHilseaMiltonNelsonPaulsgroveSt JudeSt Thomas
Electoral wards · May 2026. Police neighbourhoods and parishes are different boundaries.

Homes rented privately

22.6%

21 March 2021 · All households

People aged 65 or over

16.5%

21 March 2021 · All usual residents

People reporting bad or very bad health

4.7%

21 March 2021 · All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

Households facing two or more deprivation measures

17.5%

21 March 2021 · All households

All Census figures and how they were calculated
Hilsea · 2021 Census
MeasureFigureWho or what is counted
People13,929All usual residents. Published Census 2021 ward observation
Homes rented privately22.6%All households. Published Census 2021 ward observation
Homes rented from a council or housing association15.2%All households. Published Census 2021 ward observation
People aged 65 or over16.5%All usual residents. Published Census 2021 ward observation
People reporting bad or very bad health4.7%All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised. Published Census 2021 ward observation
People with no qualifications19.4%Residents aged 16 and over. Published Census 2021 ward observation
People with a degree or equivalent27.1%Residents aged 16 and over. Published Census 2021 ward observation
Households facing at least one deprivation measure51.3%All households. Published Census 2021 ward observation
Households facing two or more deprivation measures17.5%All households. Published Census 2021 ward observation

Household deprivation covers education, employment, health and housing. One or more and two or more are different measures. Census answers and boundary aggregation carry uncertainty.

Sources and methods →

What stands out in this ward?

Two of the largest differences from portsmouth unitary authority among the Census measures shown here. These describe the population in 2021, not why the differences exist.

Homes rented privately

22.6%

Hilsea, compared with 28.6% across portsmouth unitary authority.

6 percentage points lower · 2021 · all households.

People with a degree or equivalent

27.1%

Hilsea, compared with 30% across portsmouth unitary authority.

2.8 percentage points lower · 2021 · residents aged 16 and over.

Crime and safety in Hilsea

These are crimes with a published approximate location inside the ward. They do not measure every crime or your personal risk.

1,163

Mapped crimes, excluding anti-social behaviour · latest 12 months ending Aug 2026

+3.7%

Change against the previous 12 months

177

Anti-social behaviour reports · counted separately

065131Sept 2024Aug 2026
See the figures
Monthly mapped crimes in Hilsea, excluding anti-social behaviour
PeriodValue
Sept 2024104
Oct 2024121
Nov 202498
Dec 202485
Jan 202589
Feb 202569
Mar 2025100
Apr 202562
May 202590
Jun 202574
Jul 2025111
Aug 2025119
Sept 202578
Oct 2025101
Nov 202586
Dec 202591
Jan 202674
Feb 202676
Mar 2026114
Apr 2026107
May 2026119
Jun 202699
Jul 2026108
Aug 2026110
Categories and how to read these figures

Mapped police records only; approximate locations; excludes BTP and unmapped offences. ASB is separate. Rates use Census 2021 residents, not current residents, commuters or visitors. Not a measure of personal risk.

83.5 mapped crimes per 1,000 people, using a 21 March 2021 population of 13,929. The population is a dated denominator, not an estimate of the number of people exposed to crime today.

Latest 12 months · categories
CategoryMapped crimes
Violent crime558
Public order115
Criminal damage arson109
Other theft98
Vehicle crime83
Shoplifting63
Drugs40
Burglary35
Possession of weapons18
Other crime17
Bicycle theft14
Robbery9
Theft from the person4
Source, boundary method and downloads →

What could change here?

These are portsmouth unitary authority responses. They are relevant context, not a claim that each service or project operates in this ward.

Weakness · Portsmouth local authority

Too few homes are reaching completion

Portsmouth delivered 308 homes against a requirement of 2,702 in the three-year housing test.

The council’s newer monitoring table reports 316 net homes in 2025/26. Its annual figures differ from the government test and have not been reconciled here. An allocation or masterplan does not by itself create homes.

Evidence and related projects

Homes delivered as a share of the requirement: 11% · HDT 2025 (2022/23–2024/25) · Portsmouth. Delivery fell well short of the government’s three-year requirement. Published measurement; homes include communal-accommodation equivalents, displayed rounded as in the official table. Consequence: Presumption.

Homes delivered over three years: 308 · HDT 2025 (2022/23–2024/25) · Portsmouth. The published delivery test counts 308 homes against a requirement of 2,702. Published measurement; homes include communal-accommodation equivalents, displayed rounded as in the official table. Consequence: Presumption.

Net homes added in council monitoring: 316 · 2025/26 · Portsmouth local authority. The latest council monitoring year is newer than the government’s three-year test. Council monitoring series, not the government Housing Delivery Test. Published annual components differ; no reconciliation is inferred.

Households in temporary accommodation: 608 · 31 March 2026 · Portsmouth. These households did not have settled housing at the end of March. Statutory homelessness administrative data. Quarterly assessment flows and point-in-time temporary accommodation are different measures. The denominator is the published household estimate, not population. National counts are rounded; suppressed cells are not zero.

Children in temporary accommodation: 612 · 31 March 2026 · Portsmouth. Children are affected as well as adults; this is a point-in-time count. Statutory homelessness administrative data. Quarterly assessment flows and point-in-time temporary accommodation are different measures. The denominator is the published household estimate, not population. National counts are rounded; suppressed cells are not zero.

City Centre North — former Tricorn and Sainsbury’s sites →Tipner West →

Threat · Portsmouth local authority

Housing costs leave less for daily life

Average private rent was £1,368 a month in August 2026; the 2025 middle sale price was 7.22 times residents’ full-time annual pay.

The pay comparison concerns individuals, not household mortgage eligibility. It differs from the 6.70 ratio for jobs based here. High costs and low incomes need separate responses.

Evidence and related projects

Average monthly private rent: 1,368 · August 2026 · Portsmouth. Rent is an ongoing household cost, before bills. Average monthly private rent, all property types, ONS Price Index of Private Rents.

House price compared with residents’ annual pay: 7.2 · 2025 · Portsmouth. The middle sale price was 7.22 times the middle full-time resident salary. Median price paid for properties divided by median gross annual full-time employee earnings of residents. This is not a household mortgage multiple, workplace earnings ratio or ratio computed from the monthly house-price index.

House price compared with pay for jobs in the city: 6.7 · 2025 · Portsmouth. This measures jobs located here, including people who commute in. Published ONS median affordability ratio. Median house sale price divided by median gross annual full-time employee earnings of people working in the area. This differs from residence-based earnings and is not a household mortgage multiple. Use the annual published ratio, not a mix of differently dated house prices and earnings.

Children in low-income families after housing costs: 31% · FYE 2025 · Portsmouth. About three in ten children were below the relative low-income threshold. Children aged under 16 in relative low-income families; income below 60% of the contemporary median. DWP calibrates to HBAI. Disclosure control means ward totals may not equal city totals. FYE 2025 rates use mid-2024 population denominators; the tables use May 2024 ward boundaries. BHC and AHC are distinct measures. Historical values in this release have been revised.

Households in fuel poverty: 10.9% · 2024 · Portsmouth. These households meet the official low-income and poor-energy-efficiency definition. Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) measure. Modelled official statistics in development; suitable for broad comparisons, not detailed year-to-year trends. Local figures are 2024 estimates, not national 2025 projections.

City Centre North — former Tricorn and Sainsbury’s sites →

Weakness · Portsmouth local authority

Shared housing needs clearer quality measures

The combined register has 3,125 records; 3,107 are in licensed categories.

Rooms can help people find somewhere to live. Register size alone cannot tell us whether homes are safe or complaints are resolved. Repeated addresses also prevent treating every record as a different home.

Evidence and related projects

Records on the combined shared-housing register: 3,125 · council combined HMO register, September 2026 · Portsmouth. The 3,125 records include 3,107 in licensed categories. Repeated addresses mean records are not unique homes. Records on the council's combined HMO register (3,107 in licensed categories). Portsmouth local authority.

Projects affecting this area

In progress · evidence dated 2026-10-17

Linear Park and Hilsea Lido

Hilsea Lido has reopened. The wider Linear Park programme and coastal work must not be treated as the same completed project.

Portsmouth North · Portsmouth City Council

Latest evidence: The council’s current Hilsea Lines page says the restored lido is operated by the team behind Sea Lanes Brighton.

Next thing to check: Completion of the wider linear park beyond the Lido itself

Funding, expected benefit and evidence

Budget: The council’s winter 2025 magazine states £7.6m for the lido renovation. The retained capital reconstruction gives £7.75m for the wider Linear Park grant line; these are different scopes.

What success would mean: Lido reopening is evidenced; wider programme completion and participation benefits are not established by that fact.

A stated aim is not proof that the benefit has happened.

Local area connection

The council bid places the core Linear Park/lido concept in Hilsea and gives SU6545404330; the ONS2026 point query confirms Hilsea.

Verified for the lido/core site only. The wider Linear Park crosses the north of the island and may affect other wards; this is not complete route mapping.

Hilsea →

Council Levelling Up application: A3/A4 port and B3/B4 Linear Park locations ↗ · checked 2026-10-17

ONS May 2026 wards: point intersection ↗ · checked 2026-10-17

Practical help and responsible organisations →