Another year, another sparkly item to precariously shove into London’s full-to-bursting trophy cabinet. The Times have recently revealed their annual list of the UK’s best places to liveand – you guessed it, folks – a London borough has come up trumps. Well, actually, three London boroughs made it into the top ten – and yes, we’re feeling pretty darn pleased about it.
Each and every year, The Times publish their list of the best and brightest places to reside in the country. But whilst the results are usually based purely on local knowledge and critical acclaim; this time round, they’ve taken things a bit more seriously, and based their findings on cold, hard facts.
The survey looked at data from every local authority in Britaintaking into account a range of different factors. The facts and figures were compiled by a team of researchers, based on categories including Ofsted ratings, crime rates, number of listed properties, green spaces, and GP satisfaction. And taking the crown, and placing it comfortably on its leafy green head is Richmond.
The best place to live in the UK
Known for its 2,500-acre park (complete with free-roaming deer), its dreamy riverside, and its all-round gorgeousness; it certainly comes as no surprise to us that Richmond topped the charts. Richmond received a rather impressive 80% GP satisfaction score, and 33% of its schools are considered ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. With its speedy transport links into the capital and its close proximity to the likes of Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace; the charming suburb perfectly blurs the line of city and country life.
It may well be a brilliant place to live, but buying a house there will set you back a rather hefty sum. The average house price in Richmond is a whopping £748,000which is 42% higher than the London average. Merton and Sutton also made the top ten, with Merton coming in as the fourth best place to live, and Sutton snapping up eighth place. Not bad, hey?
The top 10 places to live in the UK
- Richmond
- Cheltenham
- Stroud
- Merton
- Ribble Valley
- Fylde, Lancashire
- The Cotswolds
- Sutton
- Chorley
- Bath and North East Somerset
You can read The Times’ full list of the best places to live here.
