The worst place to live in the U.K. [Archive]

Fareast

11-08-2005, 03:43

Just been reading of a survey done by somebody or other on the worst place to live in the U.K.
The criteria used were crime level statistics , educational standards and unemployment figures . {maybe there were other things but theywere the main three }.
The city to come out , "top" i.e. the worst place to live in the U.K.was .................................................. .............

Roll of Drums

........H U L L

Funny , a good few years ago , people used to joke about the three , H 's-----in ascending order of horror :---

Hell , Hull and Halifax
Anybody know if Hull is REALLY all that bad ? Which city do YOU think is the worst in the U.K. ?

Lotti

11-08-2005, 05:11

Wow! I'm quite surprised actually!

I never really been to Hull but my friend used to live just outside Hull and it seemed quite a nice area!

Lottie

sorry, I don't know, I haven't travelled well enough but the centre of London would be awful I'd imagine!

LordSnooty

11-08-2005, 07:52

I've been to Hull many times, in fact, I 'copped off' with my darling ex-Mrs Snooty there. It is a dreadful place, redeemed slightly by a)its association with Philip Larkin, and b)a lovely painting by Stanley Spencer of some onions hanging in a greenhouse, on display in the city art gallery.

foo_fighter

11-08-2005, 08:08

Originally posted by Fareast
...Anybody know if Hull is REALLY all that bad ? Which city do YOU think is the worst in the U.K. ?
In my experience, no, Hull isn't that bad, it does have good and bad points like anywhere, but it’s not that bad, and I'll bet there are worse "parts" of any larger city...

...and that's the problem with these silly "comparative" assessments, what on earth are the criterion, and do they make real sense...

...as for the city I would least like to live in (and I'm making no "judgement" here, just a personal statement), it'd have to be London, it has plenty of good things going for it, but too many things I just couldn't put up with too.

:)

Greenback

11-08-2005, 08:10

I've lived there, it's quite a cool city. Thriving arts scene, good university, good pubs and bars (honourable mention to The Lamp) and the Adelphi - the top music venue anywhere, ever.

It probably has a higher proportion of scrotes than most places, and sadly unemployment is pretty high. But Hull is definitely on the up. The Deep is great, the new BBC studios have raised the profile of the city centre and there's a huge new development going on by the bus station. There seems to be quite a go-getting attitude within the council, which is refreshing.

I think if the naysayers were to take a good look around the place they'd be pleasantly surprised.

Fareast

11-08-2005, 09:10

Just to add a bit more info. whilst I remember it :---First , Sheffield wasn't in the worst 10 ! Phew !
I think Stranraer [?sp.] , N.Ireland , was second , Middlesborough was 10th., there were a couple of Welsh ones in the worst 10 . Merthyr Tydfill [?] was one , if I remember correctly ?
Anyway , as someone pointed out , they are a bit misleading , these surveys ; they don't include the friendliness of the people , the appearance of a city or its natural beauty or otherwise.

sniperwookie

11-08-2005, 09:10

It was done for a Channel 4 show. There's a website (http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/best&worst/index.html) with details on it, including their 10 best and worst places to live, and the criteria used to make up the list. It was a quite entertaining and light-hearted show really.

foo_fighter

11-08-2005, 10:44

Originally posted by sniperwookie
It was done for a Channel 4 show. There's a website (http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/best&worst/index.html) with details on it, including their 10 best and worst places to live, and the criteria used to make up the list. It was a quite entertaining and light-hearted show really.
Oh dear
The Worst Places to Live in the UK

10. Easington >>

9. Salford >>

8. Merthyr Tydfil >>

7. Blaenau Gwent >>

6. Mansfield >>

5. Middlesbrough >>

4. Hackney >>

3. Strabane >>

2. Nottingham >>

1. Hull >>

Nottingham gets it in the neck
The Worst Places – Nottingham

The East Midlands town of Nottingham was made a city in 1897 by Queen Victoria, and is now officially the fastest growing city in the UK. It’s also the youngest city in the UK – probably thanks to two Universities and a college of further education.

Old Market Square is the largest surviving market square in Europe, while Lace Market was once the heart of the world lace industry. It’s now a protected heritage area, with many fine examples of 18th Century industrial architecture – which means premium rate prices for sought-after city centre living. The Hockley area, next to it, is seen as quite bohemian.

Nottingham Castle was bought by the Nottingham City fathers in 1875 and restored as the country’s first provincial Museum of Fine Art. The city also boasts six markets, 138 parks and open spaces and an unrivalled selection of sports facilities for a city this size.

Nottingham is, of course, famous for its association with the outlaw Robin Hood. Outlaws are still big in Nottingham, but they’re less philanthropic, gun-wielding drug gangs, and the only thing the poor get out of it is fear and drive-by shootings. The city also suffers from a burglary rate that’s almost five times the national average.

Good:
· A wide variety of sport, including two professional football clubs, an ice hockey and rugby team, a Test match cricket ground and the National Ice Centre – spawning ground of Torvill and Dean.
· City centre living at its most decorative – in the right areas.

Bad:
· Crime. Gun crime, car crime, violent crime and burglary are all among the worst in the UK.
· Nottingham schools are among the worst in the country. But who needs GCSEs in the ‘hood?

Famous for:
· Notts County Football Club, founded in 1862, is the oldest professional football team in the world. But not quite the best.
· Nottingham School of Fashion is respected around the country and produced the designer Paul Smith.
Fascinating fact:
· The River Trent, which flows from Stoke-on-Trent to the Humber, is the only major English river to flow north.

Source:
http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/best&worst/index.html

:hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :thumbsup:

timo

11-08-2005, 11:01

We lived in Nottingham between 1991 and late 1994. We fortunately lived in the bland suburbs so the drug and gang problems of St Anns etc did not touch upon our lives. The whole place seemed generally fine [it rode the recession, as the local paper never seemed to tire of trumpeting], and the city centre gave off a relative air of affluence and sophistication.

I visited an old University friend there last year, and was horrified by the deterioration. The city centre at night is quite seriously one of the most dangerous places in Britain, especially at the weekend. Rarely have I encountered such a volatile atmosphere outside of a football ground on the day of a 'grudge match'. The women were as bad as the men that I witnessed. The 'Watcha f***in' lookin' at?' culture of the depraved, policy-impervious, 'Underclass' has seeped into the lower middle classes in Notts. This is terribly sad, as I remember a much nicer, more relaxed city in the early nineties.

Shiesh

11-08-2005, 11:03

Oh dear poor old 'Boro' my native town at number 5 from the bottom !!

Anyone know where Sheffield was on the table ???

Not watched the show!!

:o

Phanerothyme

11-08-2005, 11:08

Hull's a great place in parts.

It's got the liveliest poetry scene I've ever enountered.

Used to live round the avenues, next to Pearson park, and spent many a summer day bowling on the public rinks.

march

11-08-2005, 11:59

Hull always comes bottom of these things because all of the stats look bad. Education, unemployment etc. This is really because the official boundary of Hull doesn't include any of the outlying villages/suburbs like most city boundaries do, it is mainly just the centre and surrounding council estates. Extend out in to the East Riding and things look a lot better. Imagine Sheffield or any other big city with only the council estates and I would guess the stats wouldn't look too good either.

fhain29

11-08-2005, 12:09

I studied in Hull, and have to say it is a very divided city, just like Sheffield in a way. For the main part it is a vast swathe of council housing (like Shiregreen, Parson Cross, Southey etc). Then there are the very nice parts like the Avenues. It suffers from the fact that the nice parts of the city are outside the official city boundaries, so places that would be like Hallam Constinuency in Sheff are in the East Riding (Anlaby, Cottingham, Willerby). The centre of the city is better than it was. The Old Town is a nice place. But it has its grim sides, and is just so isolated. What is bad is the accent and the existence of only one vowel: "er". I got nicked for not paying my "pearl tax" back then.

Abdul

11-08-2005, 13:00

No mention of Ecclesall in the top ten best places?

I'll bet You-know-who has already contacted his solicitors to make an official complaint.

alchresearch

11-08-2005, 13:40

It was a very lame show, with a script that was written by a six year old:

"At number five, right in the middle of our top ten". Thanks for that, I always thought 7 was in the middle.

They also wasted a fair bit of time recapping what the show was about after every advert.

I've been to most of the 'worst' places and they all have some good redeeming features (except Middlesborough).

robbie

11-08-2005, 14:56

I used to live in Hull. Was at uni there.

Whilst a would never live there after graduating it isn't that bad. It isn't nice but it certainly isn't the worst place in the country,

march

11-08-2005, 16:33

I lived there for the first 18 years of my life and thought it was fine. Not got much family there now but would still move back if there were any suitable jobs.

Made this ages a go for a stupid project I was doing, some of the nicer things in Hull. I found it again yesterday hence the post in "I'm really bored" with the rubbish quiz featuring it. http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=8/22111082189.jpg&s=x1

FriarTuck

11-08-2005, 17:01

I have lived, studied and worked in Hull and the biggest problem is the Orwellian type influence its leaders have over its people. The people genuinely believe that Hull is on par with the Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Sheffield's of this world. Ask a person from Hull and they'll say Hull is the 5th largest city in the UK. Ask a Hull City football supporter and they will try to convince you that Hull City should be a premiership team. Hull, in effect, suffers from a chronic lack of external investment and the developments we see in Hull are funded mainly by the public sector and large based Hull companies. I think the city is guilty of a misdirection of funds. In the 1990s it spent millions on a city centre face lift and is doing so again. Meanwhile it complains of lack of funding to tackle its problems in education, racial tensions, drugs, high suicide rate, and deprived housing estates. The city image is deemed more important. It doesn't help that Hull is somewhat isolated from the other major area in Yorkshire. Saying that however, I still find Hull to be a friendly city.

march

11-08-2005, 18:03

It is the largest city in Europe never to have had a football team to play in the top flight of the domestic league. Also it is something like 10th biggest (in terms of population) city in England. The money in the 90s was spent on Princes Quay (a city centre shopping centre) it is now been spent on the two stations and surrounding area. Not defending the place just giving the facts.

11-08-2005, 18:10

Grange over sands, Barrow and Morcombe all take some beating for bringing on a mega depression.

Visited all of them once and once only.Never again.:gag:

robbie

11-08-2005, 18:22

Brandsholme. Biggest council housing estate in Euope....

FriarTuck

11-08-2005, 19:58

Originally posted by march
It is the largest city in Europe never to have had a football team to play in the top flight of the domestic league. Also it is something like 10th biggest (in terms of population) city in England. The money in the 90s was spent on Princes Quay (a city centre shopping centre) it is now been spent on the two stations and surrounding area. Not defending the place just giving the facts.

It’s actually 15th (247,942) in population city ranking order and 39th overall.
I appreciate the issue of conurbations etc, but allowing for this it only brings the urban area of Hull to 306,000. This is dwarfed by Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, and Manchester etc, and is equal to the likes of Wakefield, Doncaster, Brighton and Coventry etc. This forms the basis of my argument. Hull is not a big city but its ‘We’re a big city attitude’ is what I believe the root of its problems. I think it needs to adopt a bottom-up approach. Firstly to tackle the issues that gave it the ‘worse
town to live in tag’, and once that is under control, then concentrate on its image.
Nobody has said Hull town centre is scruffy or dirty, on the contrary I think the town centre is very good. At the risk of sounding condescending, Hull needs to accept its role within the UK. Because of its location and relative isolation, it’s never going to be a hotspot for outside investment and to keep up with the Jones’ is detrimental to its population. There’s just not enough money. I think I read somewhere that over £2 billion has been invested in Leeds over 5 years. I can pretty much guarantee over 80% of this would have been through the private sector and external investment. Hull, I gather, has somewhere in the region of £300 million worth of current development. Hull City Council would have provided most of this funding……. funding which could have been channelled more constructively.
It’s not my intention to knock Hull, it’s just that I have seen this problem before. Better people than me were trying to explain this to Hull in the mid to late 90s but even then the city council were very blinkered.

metalman

11-08-2005, 20:16

Strange how some people are saying that Hull's 'big city attitude' is part of its problem when a lot of other people at the same time are saying that Sheffield needs to develop exactly such an attitude instead of the parochial one it's got now.

Maybe we in Sheffield should accept our role within the UK too - is Sheffield really on a par with Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham, Friar Tuck? All the previous evidence on this forum would seem to indicate not!

FriarTuck

11-08-2005, 21:10

Maybe we in Sheffield should accept our role within the UK too - is Sheffield really on a par with Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham, Friar Tuck? All the previous evidence on this forum would seem to indicate not!

For whatever reason we have not seen the type of investment, which Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham have seen.
I can't speak for others but I certainly accept that we are operating on a different level to Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham. The Yorkshire economy is worth is £66 bn a year. Sheffield stands at £7 bn and Leeds in the region of £14 bn, Manchester and Birmingham probably more. We simply can't compete against these, but the problem is that we try to compare ourselves to them and consequently end up talking ourselves down.
Economies, however, are dynamic.....just look at Doncaster. Five years ago Doncaster was on its knees, now its attracting private sector investment like a magnet. So who knows what will happen in the next 5 years.
Where Sheffield and Hull differ is all to do with potential. Hull's growth was developed through the shipping port and an extremely busy one at that. It's now operating at about 12% from what it once was. Because of its location, Hull is not seen as an attractive proposition for outside investment, whereas Sheffield has the potential to be seen as an attractive proposition.

Internetowl

11-08-2005, 21:27

Hull is shocking....unless you're in the market for a teenage girlfriend with a habit and kids ...

Donny's getting like that too it seems - 000's of asylum seekers in Hull too.... poor buggers , come to Britain to escape whatever and get stuck in Hull...

Greenback

11-08-2005, 21:51

Originally posted by Internetowl
Donny's getting like that too it seems - 000's of asylum seekers in Hull too.... poor buggers , come to Britain to escape whatever and get stuck in Hull...

Playing jumpers-for-goalposts football in Pearson Park with asylum seekers and local Burberry types went a long way to restoring my faith in human nature... memories.

It ain't that bad a place, honest. :)

redrobbo

11-08-2005, 21:53

Originally posted by alchresearch
I've been to most of the 'worst' places and they all have some good redeeming features (except Middlesborough).

:nono: Sheish! Sheish! Where are you? Look......someone else who can't spell Middlesbrough!

I'm off to Hull for the weekend. It's a great city. Terrific museums, art gallery, The Humber Bridge, old town centre, beautiful university building, fabulous new KC stadium, home to the famous Hull Truck Theatre Company and playwright John Godber. The Deep has become so popular a visitor attraction that it is being extended. Nice shopping areas. Loads of city centre renovation work taking place around the dilapidated bus station area.

The whole city is built on flat land, and this does give a certain feeling of monotony when passing through the suburbs. Crime statistics are bad, educational attainment is the lowest in the country, and maybe due to Hull's isolated location, xenophobia is apparent - with appalling high rates of recorded racial abuse and attacks.

The delightful outlying suburbs which skirt Hull city, Kirk Ella, Swanland, Hessle, Anlanby, etc., are all in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This is the equivalent of Dore, Totley, Fulwood, Ranmoor, and similar suburbs being excluded from Sheffield and placed in Derbyshire.

It's a vibrant city, with a large student population, loads of fascinating pubs, and the oddly named street - The Land of Green Ginger. Just wish Hull City Council hadn't stuck that huge tv. screen in the main shopping area. It's awful!

Oh yes - and it has award winning public toilets. We took our friend Liz into two of the gents lavs for a peep!

:huh: Did I really admit to that on a public forum? :rolleyes:

Greenback

11-08-2005, 23:05

Originally posted by redrobbo
I'm off to Hull for the weekend. It's a great city. Terrific museums, art gallery, The Humber Bridge, old town centre, beautiful university building, fabulous new KC stadium, home to the famous Hull Truck Theatre Company and playwright John Godber. The Deep has become so popular a visitor attraction that it is being extended. Nice shopping areas. Loads of city centre renovation work taking place around the dilapidated bus station area.

True, there are a lot of positive things to say about the place. To be honest, Hull's city centre knocks Sheffield's for six in most aspects (especially the brilliant public loos near Prinny Quay!)

Phanerothyme

11-08-2005, 23:33

And the Ferens Art Gallery is excellent - they've got a Meredith Frampton I really like.

The place has much to commend it (on my last visit back there anyway).

Originally posted by redrobbo

Oh yes - and it has award winning public toilets. We took our friend Liz into two of the gents lavs for a peep!

:huh: Did I really admit to that on a public forum? :rolleyes:
no biggie, used to have to do that at the Philharmonic in Liverpool too.

Shiesh

11-08-2005, 23:33

Originally posted by alchresearch
I've been to most of the 'worst' places and they all have some good redeeming features (except Middlesborough).

Red..I've seen it ....bah I am on the case!! :mad:

Alchresearch...you can't spell it correctly therefore I can only assume you haven't really spent long enough in the place to have 'tried and tested' any redeeming features!!

Middlesbrough is thriving we don't need the likes of Kirsty and Phil coming to town to pull us down...friendly people, decent football team and we still manage to have some industry on side....don't you like to buy 'Made in Britain'!!

:thumbsup:

fhain29

12-08-2005, 12:44

Originally posted by Internetowl
- 000's of asylum seekers in Hull too.... poor buggers , come to Britain to escape whatever and get stuck in Hull...

Hull actually is one of the largest cities in the UK with virtually no ethnic minorities. 97.68% are white, whereas in Sheffield it is 91.23%.

Compared to Sheffield Hull has a good gay scene too. But then again Sheffield has no gay scene!

Rich

12-08-2005, 12:49

Originally posted by Abdul
No mention of Ecclesall in the top ten best places?

I'll bet You-know-who has already contacted his solicitors to make an official complaint.

:lol:

march

12-08-2005, 14:19

Originally posted by fhain29
Hull actually is one of the largest cities in the UK with virtually no ethnic minorities. 97.68% are white, whereas in Sheffield it is 91.23%.

Compared to Sheffield Hull has a good gay scene too. But then again Sheffield has no gay scene!

Hull does seem to be in the news a lot for problems related to Asylum Seekers (often idiots causing trouble for them), but I think there are only about 7 of them, they just get around a lot! :D

Fareast

12-08-2005, 15:56

The question is :-

Did Middlesborough and Hull escape from Yorkshire or were they expelled for bad behaviour ?

Internetowl

12-08-2005, 16:11

Yeah, we dumped them - in Humberside and Teeside...they are welcome to stay there.....

keefer1234

12-08-2005, 16:12

Apparently, during the cold war, the USSR had a list of British targets for their missiles and Stoke on Trent was at the top of their list. The Americans had a similar list and there at the top was.....Stoke on Trent.

march

12-08-2005, 16:15

Originally posted by Internetowl
Yeah, we dumped them - in Humberside and Teeside...they are welcome to stay there.....

The airport? Think that is the only thing/place with the name humberside. The county was abolished years ago.

Cranberry

12-08-2005, 16:20

In Hull you can walk along an urban fish trail - reason enough to visit the place I would have thought.

Rich

12-08-2005, 16:38

Originally posted by march
The airport? Think that is the only thing/place with the name humberside. The county was abolished years ago.

It's still referred to as Humberside in a lot of ways though, the local Police force is still called the Humberside Police for example, and the Council are still called Humberside County Council.

And the whole area will still always be situated on the side of the river Humber, hence the name Humberside.

fnkysknky

12-08-2005, 18:10

Not read through anything other than the first post but as for worst place in the UK it's got to be either Coventry or Swansea - both complete hell holes.

40summat

12-08-2005, 18:18

Originally posted by Mo
Grange over sands, Barrow and Morcombe all take some beating for bringing on a mega depression.

Visited all of them once and once only.Never again.:gag:

Have to agree with those especially Barrow-in furness known as the biggest cul-de-sac in the world. i spent a year there one night.

march

12-08-2005, 19:31

Jon

12-08-2005, 19:41

Rotherham and before you all jump down my throat my brother lives there and he's moving back to Sheffield cause he hates it...+ my ex lives there another good reason to vote Rotherham.

Rich

12-08-2005, 19:51

Originally posted by march
Don't suppose you have a link to the Humberside County council website do you?

Apparently I was wrong, they're now called Lincolnshire County Council, web site is here (http://http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/section.asp?catId=2636).

t020

14-08-2005, 17:26

Originally posted by Abdul
No mention of Ecclesall in the top ten best places?

I'll bet You-know-who has already contacted his solicitors to make an official complaint.

Sheff Hallam should've been in as a whole but it was based on local authority areas as opposed to constituencies so Sheffield didn't feature at all. Infact, from what I've heard, it had a large southern bias.

robbie

14-08-2005, 17:29

Originally posted by Greenback
Playing jumpers-for-goalposts football in Pearson Park with asylum seekers and local Burberry types went a long way to restoring my faith in human nature... memories.

It ain't that bad a place, honest. :)

days of laying in Pearson park and playing random football games......

frisby tastic as well :clap:

redrobbo

15-08-2005, 11:55

Originally posted by Rich
It's still referred to as Humberside in a lot of ways though, the local Police force is still called the Humberside Police for example, and the Council are still called Humberside County Council.

And the whole area will still always be situated on the side of the river Humber, hence the name Humberside.

Humberside County Coucil was abolished on 01 April 1996.

On the north bank of the Humber, it was replaced by the City of Kingston-Upon-Hull Council (a unitary authority) and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (based in Beverley, but includes Goole, Bridlington, Driffield, Howden, etc.). On the south bank of the Humber, it was replaced by North Lincolnshire Council (based on Scunthorpe) and North-East Lincolnshire Council (based on Grimsby).

Humberside Police Authority covers the geographical area of these four coucils.