Merry Lees’s story
No listed buildings inside Merry Lees’s built-up area
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Merry LeesLeicestershire
The village, home to 129 people, lies in Leicestershire, East Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
129
Census 2021 · Hinckley and Bosworth council
Median age
48
20% are 65+ · Leicestershire 17%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Merry Lees a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Merry Lees is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. Just over one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. 25% of its homes date from before 1919. Mortgage-free owners make up 50% of households.
What makes Merry Lees stand out
The 3 things Merry Lees does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Own outright
Housing
50% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Merry Lees.
Work & commute
Only 18% of Merry Lees’ commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in Leicestershire’s towns or England’s towns
12%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 47% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households had £51K a year before tax, lower than both Leicestershire’s towns (£56K) and England’s towns (£55K). At the census, 88% of commuters went by car. In 2026, 1.9% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot7%
Bicycle5%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
47%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
mean household income, before tax
1.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Most households in Merry Lees own their home: 76%, more than in Leicestershire’s towns or across England’s towns
£0Kmedian sale
2% of households live in social housing. Private renters make up just over a fifth of households.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Merry Lees£0K
Typical UK town£277K
76%
of households own their home · England 61%
22%
rent privately · England 21%
£934
average private rent a month, Hinckley and Bosworth council area
£2,426
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Merry Lees records more burglary and damage per resident than Leicestershire’s towns or England’s towns, at 15.5 per 1,000 a year
12.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Of all the crimes, 40% were violence and sexual offences. Violent crime ran at 12.9 per 1,000 residents a year, below Leicestershire’s towns (21.7) and England’s towns (22) alike. Police recorded 5 crimes inside Merry Lees’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual2
Damage & arson1
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Other theft0
Drugs0
Anti-social0
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
12.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
5
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Health
Just 1.6% of people in Merry Lees say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Leicestershire’s towns and England’s towns
88%good or very good health
The nearest A&E to Merry Lees is Leicester Royal Infirmary, 7.4 miles away. 88% of Merry Lees’ residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Leicestershire’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). Seeing a GP means leaving Merry Lees: the nearest practice is 1.7 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Merry Lees | Leicestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.6% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
81.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.7
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
No listed buildings in Merry Lees
0listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Merry Lees’s built-up area.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
25%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Merry Lees than in Leicestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 13% are under 15
48median age
Half of Merry Lees is older than 48, half younger. People aged 15 to 24 make up 14% of the town, about level with Leicestershire’s towns (14%) and above England’s towns (12%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 20% of residents.
Merry LeesLeicestershireEngland
Ages · share of residents
14%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar27%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Merry Lees | Leicestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 14% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 35% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 27% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Leicestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Merry Lees
11pages on Merry Lees
The big questions
About Merry Lees
Village in Leicestershire, England
Merry Lees is a built-up area of 129 people, in the Hinckley and Bosworth council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
- Population
- 129 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Hinckley and Bosworth
- County
- Leicestershire
- Region
- East Midlands
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002583
Merry Lees’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ThorntonDesfordNewbold VerdonBagworthMarkfieldBarlestoneRatbyMerry Lees
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merry Lees | 129 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Thornton | 1,030 | 0.8 | — | B− | B− | B |
| Desford | 3,817 | 2 | B | B− | B− | B− |
| Newbold Verdon | 3,097 | 2.1 | B− | B+ | B− | C+ |
| Bagworth | 1,869 | 2.4 | — | B+ | B− | B |
| Markfield | 4,761 | 2.7 | A | A− | B | B |
| Barlestone | 2,563 | 2.7 | A− | A− | C+ | B+ |
| Ratby | 4,262 | 2.7 | B+ | A− | C | B− |
Thornton and Bagworth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Merry Lees
How much is council tax in Merry Lees?
Band D council tax in Merry Lees is £2,426 for 2026–27, less than in 54% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.