Peterborough then Huddersfield ?

Well Washerwoman, I'm also born and bred in the same City as yourself. When they write these reports, I often wonder whether they've actually visited the places. Yes, as you say there are good & not so good areas, (as in most places), but I've always found that there are also good & bad people, not always from the bad areas & vice versa. I'm proud to be from my City, and mostly the people are friendly & have hearts of gold, so I guess I'll stay put!

We have settled in Doncaster. This is our 3rd time living here. First and second time were due to postings to RAF Finningley. Now Doncaster Sheffield Robin Hood Airport lol

Anyway apart from the mouthful of a name for the airport it's really not a bad place to be.

We have a lovely new theatre, the town centre is being rejuvenated, sadly it has suffered as many other towns have, but we still have some good shops, nice tea rooms, and places to meet and eat in town. Work is underway for a new Library, Museum with plans for more improvements in addition to the work that has already been completed.

Out of the immediate town centre we have a good selection of shops, cinema, restaurants an Ice Ring, home of the St Ledger, a new Hilton Hotel more than one entertainment venue. We've had Elton John, Simply Red and others perform here.

For recreation there is a large open space, Town Fields, not far from the town centre. The Lakeside area, not far from town. has a lovely lake, hotels, offices, housing, shops and the new football stadium/gym, eateries, cinema, bowling. I do wonder what people want and who answers these surveys.

Doncaster has a large Hospital a College/Uni, The National Rail College and some good schools/new 6th Forms and many international companies have business operations here as well as manufacturing.

So there are jobs at most levels as well as education and training, reasonable housing and good transport options. Reasonable bus service, good road, rail and air transport passenger and freight.

Housing, renting or buying isn't as extortionate as some places and there are some outstanding houses as well as some lovely places in and around Doncaster.

I come from York and trust me away from the tourist bits there are some areas I wouldn't go to at night even in York. That's true in most places and here isn't any different or any worse.

We can get to family in York in an hour, DD1 in the Peak District in an hour, friends in Lincolnshire in just over the hour, Ikea :-) and Meadowhall in 30 -40 mins so for us Doncaster is a good place to live. We have lived in many areas of the UK and and in a number of other countries so I have something to compare it to.

I'm sad to hear that Peterborough is on the list, we lived between Peterborough and Cambridge and I enjoyed going to both these equally. DD1 MIL lives still lives in Peterborough and does say it's not as nice as it was but I do wonder how these lists are put together. Oh Hum

Anyway as sad as I am to see the place where we live on the list I still enjoy being here and it is a place where people can live a decent life and make a good future so I'm happy to stay.

Unless we win the Lottery then I want to move to Avebury, Wiltshire and live inside the stone circle :-) I can but dream.

As others say, anyone here who lives in those towns needn’t feel bad, these lists are made for amusement more than anything else.Almost everywhere has grotty parts after all.

Thank you lacy123 for sticking up for Hull. I was born in Hull and lived there for over 20 years. My family still live there and I visit as often as I can. I had a fantastic time living there in the sixties and seventies. People are so friendly and care about each other's welfare. I now live in Surrey were I find people don't care too much. only interested in what car you drive and how much your husband earns. Give me Hull people anytime as we say they are salt of the earth.

I live in a very well to do town, clean streets, rubbish emptied weeks, flower beds, good mix of shops, good schools BUT we have drugs, a big drug culture and we have yummy mummies who let their children make a mess in the coffee lounges and run around annoying people and dog mess everywhere. Compare this to some of the run down towns I have visited which are shabby and run down but the people respect others and seem to care. Nobody chooses to be poor or have their town rundown, this is due to cuts in public spending and a police on the beat.

As a born and bred Hullensian (is this what we are?) Ive enjoyed reading this thread. The number of posts by people speaking positively about Hull is typical. We are constantly put down by the media, usually by people who have probably never set foot in the City, yet we continue to be fiercely proud of Hull and rightly so! Its quirky, friendly, beautiful (in places) and has improved massively over the last few years. Our history is amazing and the Old Town is absolutely fascinating. Yes there are poor areas but this is the same for every large city. WE ARE HULL!! [grin}

Had a son at uni in Hull. I really liked it the two times I visited. He hated it and quit after a year!
Every town and city has scuddy bits and nicer parts. But they are all just places. If you have a home, job, friends etc, it will seem nice.

My friend, who moved from Birmingham to Devon some years ago, feels very sorry for me 'still being stuck here'. Bless her. It's my choice.

I've just got back from Bath. Some of it is beautiful but there were bits that were really shabby. I think it is the same for all cities.

My father's family were born and bred in Hull and Bridlington. Hull is very interesting, free museums, good bus service, lots to do and see. I think that Huddersfield tops the list for listed Victorian buildings. The station has a classical front and opens into a lovely large area with fountains. Lindley used to have a very good primary school (maybe still has). As for Blackpool - in the 1950s we had a family holiday there every year as the air is supposed to be very good and I suffered as a child from a 'bad chest'. We always stayed in the same hotel, spent every moment on the lovely beach, went to the Tower circus, I had swimming lessons, I loved it.

I live near Hull, in Beverley, having moved up here with my job. We go to Hull for concerts, shows and the ballet - there are two theatres, a huge concert hall, some nice pubs and cafes, an excellent art gallery that housed the Turner Prize in 2017 - also nice countryside nearby, lovely villages in the Wolds and Beverley itself which lots of people like to visit. Admittedly I've never lived in Hull itself but there are nice parts, I know, just like anywhere else. They did a great job during the European City of Culture year.

i stayed fir 3 days in blackpool this jan for my birthday,could not believe how run down it was shut shops.not for the season i mean shut gone for good,grotty streets rubbish

When I was young I was told if I was good I would go to Devon and if I was bad I’d go to Hull.
I think that’s what I was told anyway ....

Northern towns may not be as affluent as those in the south, but the people are much friendlier and more welcoming. We need better railways, but all the funding goes to the south. I’ve only visited London a couple of times; it was like being in a different country. I wouldn’t go again.

Is this list compiled so that the rich can buy up cheaper properties then rent them out to the locals who can not afford to buy them even at a lower price than down south???

We live in the Black Country, on the western fringes, so we have Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire all within a short drive. Moving east to the conurbation, there's an excellent public transport system with a mix of trams, trains and buses; every shopping facility you can imagine, eateries and entertainment all within easy reach.

The local canal systems have now become tourist attractions, with more boats than in the industrial past using them. There are more NT properties than in some more up market counties I know of. All this with reasonably priced housing and a vibrant employment market.

Yet the Black Country is widely regarded as a somewhat undesirable area - mostly by those who don't know or have never been of course.

People can be very judgemental.

I expect some of these run-down places will benefit from the £1.6bn promised by the government today for the Stronger Towns Fund.

How many towns will benefit and over what period of time the money will be spent wasn't made clear on R4 this morning. It's not much is it, compared to the £1bn given to Northern Ireland, as part of the DUP pact.

All these lists will have some ulterior motive! Maybe to indicate to property developers & investors where they can make a bob or two.. or to struggling young people to get on the property ladder.
Where my DH & lots of his mates lived as school kids, sons of tradesmen: electricians, plumbers , mechanics etc are now desirable "Edwardian London Villas" in Estate Agent speak, and cost arount £1m + to buy. As one of our pals said..where do the poor people live now?
The gentrification of areas can bring benefits but it also brings problems.