Nelson
One of Portsmouth's 14 wards, in Portsmouth North. About 15,132 residents at the 2021 Census.
Who represents you
Councillors run the city council and handle local casework. Your MP deals with national issues and government departments. Who does what →
Councillor
Richard Adair
Liberal Democrat
Term to 4 May 2028
Councillor
Steve Andrews
Liberal Democrat
Term to 2 May 2030
Councillor · Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport
Lee Hunt
Liberal Democrat
Term to 6 May 2027
Councillor list from the council's ModernGov system, checked 23 September 2026. Check the council's list.
The two measures where Nelson differs most from the city, relative to the city figure.
The six pillars in Nelson
Not published at ward level.
1 fly-tipping hotspot street on the council's list.
All ward measures as a table
Census 2021 was taken on 21 March 2021, during the third national lockdown. Student and workplace populations were displaced, and the figures do not update between censuses. Read them as a map of how wards differ from each other, not as this year's conditions.
| Measure | Nelson | Portsmouth | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households deprived in 2+ ways | 24.7% | 19.4% | 18.1% |
| Social rented homes | 20.5% | 18.0% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 32.3% | 28.6% | 20.5% |
| Overcrowded households | 5.7% | 4.4% | 4.4% |
| Residents in bad or very bad health | 5.6% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| Adults with no qualifications | 24.3% | 17.4% | 18.1% |
| Adults with degree-level qualifications | 22.9% | 30.0% | 33.9% |
| Households with no car or van | 35.6% | 30.3% | 23.5% |
ONS Census 2021, via UK Stat Pack's ward registry.
Local pressures
37.4%
of children in relative low income after housing costs
1,302 children. Portsmouth 31.0%.
DWP, Financial year ending 2025, published 26 March 2026
134.0
recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
Portsmouth 112.7 · England 81.0. Aug 2025 to Jul 2026.
1
fly-tipping hotspot streets in the council's list
London Road (52)
Portsmouth City Council
Population and child poverty
Current ward geography · Child poverty: FYE 2025; population: mid-2024 · Population and children aged under 16 in relative low income, before (BHC) or after (AHC) housing costs.
| Measure | Nelson |
|---|---|
| Child poverty after housing costs · FYE 2025 | 37.4% |
| Child poverty before housing costs · FYE 2025 | 23.4% |
| Resident population · mid-2024 | 16050 people |
| Children in low income after housing costs · FYE 2025 | 1302 children |
DWP · ONS ward population · DWP May 2024 and ONS May 2025 ward codes match the mapped boundaries. Counts are disclosure-controlled; ward totals may differ from city totals. Population is an estimate, not an exact headcount. Ward population uses the November 2025 release; city trends use the July 2026 revision. Same-year totals may differ between those vintages.