Boston Borough and East Lindsey among the worst places to live in England… but it’s good news for Rutland and South Kesteven, study finds
Two Lincolnshire districts have been named amongst the worst places to live in the country.
A new survey has found that Boston Borough was the fifth least appealing place to call home in England, ranking 287th from 291 areas.
East Lindsey also had the ignominy of making the bottom 10.
The district - which includes a diverse make-up, from seaside Skegness to Horncastle on the edge of the Wolds - was named 10th worst, put in 281st place.
South Holland - which forms part of the South & East Lincolnshire Council’s Partnership alongside Boston and East Lindsey - ranked 254th in the table.
Not too far behind were West Lindsey (251st) and Lincoln (248th).
However, there was good news for some parts of the patch, with Rutland ranked the 136th best area to live in England.
See also: Towns named among nation’s best by Sunday Times
Neighbouring South Kesteven was placed 181st, with North Kesteven 226th.
The poll, compiled by The Sunday Times, used nine different data metrics to compile the list.
Using crime rates, school successes (Ofsted reports and Progress 8, which measures improvements made by secondary school pupils), NHS treatment targets and waiting times, plus GP satisfaction, the number of listed buildings per area, community-listed companies and number of parks with Green Flags, each district was ranked from first to 291st.
When it comes to crime, Rutland and North Kesteven are among the safest places to live, ranking fourth and fifth respectively.
At the opposite end of the scale, Lincoln ranked 254th.
Education-wise, Lincoln came out on top for Lincolnshire and Rutland, ranked 53rd with 19% of schools rated outstanding.
West Lindsey was listed in 270th with 6% of schools outstanding.
When it comes to our health, it’s not a pretty picture in our region.
Rutland ranked 177th in the NHS targets category, with 57% seen for treatment within 18 weeks, and 202nd in the NHS waiting lists, with the average waiting time 15.2 weeks.
It was even bleaker for the seven Lincolnshire districts, who ranked an equal 259th for NHS targets, with 57% seen for treatment within 18 weeks, and 257th for NHS waiting lists, with the average waiting time 16.2 weeks.
There is no shortage of historic buildings in the area, however, with Rutland ranked 4th with 1,416 loisted buildings, while all Lincolnshire districts barring South Holland and Lincoln falling into the top 100.
With the exception of Lincoln (122nd), the remaining Yellowbelly patches, plus Rutland, all fall in the bottom 100 for community-listed companies.
Boston was ranked second worst in the country with just 1.7 registered per 10,000 residents.
Lincoln again came out top when it came to Green Flag-rated parks, 60th on the list with Rutland was listed as 102nd.
Districts which border our patch proved to be a mixed bag.
Fenland, in Cambridgeshire, which borders South Holland, also featured in the bottom 10, ranked 286th.
At the opposite end of the scale, South Norfolk ranked 106th, South Cambridgeshire 146th and Newark and Sherwood 166th.
Other nearby local authorities included North Norfolk 175th, North Lincolnshire 184th and North East Lincolnshire 245th.
The top five best places to live in England were Richmond (London), Cheltenham (Gloucestershire), Stroud (Gloucestershire), Merton (London) and Ribble Valley (Lincolnshire), while the bottom five were Rushmoor (Hampshire), Basildon (Essex), Dudley (West Midlands), Castle Point (Essex) and Boston.
Warwick was named the best area in the Midlands, raking 21st, while St Albans topped the list of best places to live in the East of England, listed 47th.
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