Slough households to stay country's 2nd most populated despite record decline

Households in Slough are set to remain among the most densely populated in England over the next two decades, new data from the Office for National Statistics shows.

Despite national trends of smaller families and shifting household structures, forecasts suggest Slough will continue to have higher-than-average numbers of people living in each home.

However, even while remaining one of the most crowded areas, Slough is expected to record the biggest drop in average household size of any local authority in the country.

The ONS data features housing numbers nationally and household data from 2022 and predicts changes expected to take place until 2047.

Slough had 52,045 households in 2022 and is expected to see this figure increase by more than 10,000 to 62,352 at the halfway point of the century.

Neighbouring Buckinghamshire, a much larger geographical area, is expected to see its household numbers increase from 222,313 to 279,082 over the same period, a rise of more than 25 per cent.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, one of the most expensive places to buy a first home in England, is predicted to see a near 20 per cent increase, from 61,160 to 72,764 households.

Other changes expected to take place in Slough include a striking increase in the number of people living alone. This trend is mirrored in many other local authority regions.

In Slough, around 5,900 women and 6,000 men lived alone in 2022. By 2047, this is expected to increase by thousands to be more than 8,800 women and more than 9,200 men.

Households with one or more children are all expected to decline by around 20 per cent. The most pronounced change is in households with two children which are predicted to fall by 20.9 per cent.

According to the data, this decrease, along with other demographic changes, will mean Slough will see the largest decline in average household size of any local authority region in England.

However, while the town’s households will see this record decline, it is countered by a rapid increase in the number of single-person households and households with two or more adults.

The data predicts that the 17,464 homes with two or more adults in Slough in 2022, will increase by almost 10,000 and reach 26,143 by 2047.

Slough is projected to remain near the top of the rankings in England’s most densely populated households, tied in second place with London Borough Redbridge on an average 2.7 people.

The figure is 0.06 people behind the London Borough of Newham, which has the country’s most densely populated homes.