To ask which towns/cities have NOT gone to the dogs?

[Lieger]

We are likely relocating in a couple of years. Just seen a thread about towns being full of people fighting and off their heads on drugs, empty high streets, rubbish everywhere, tent cities etc. Is there anywhere in the UK that hasn’t gone to hell?

@Meadowfinch how expensive are houses there ? Because that is basically the issue.

@ParrotPirouette same here in Bath- I have a chronic urge to say- well bugger off to Swindon then - see ya!! Anywhere has issues but I wish they would learn some perspective.

So true; there’s some real rural poverty and straw dogs places (as above).

But there are also some lovely coastal towns. Truro, as the only city, is nice and pretty safe.

This makes me really sad. I lived there for 9 years and still go back regularly for shopping. I guess I just don’t see that side of it.

Stamford
Petersfield
Cambridge

I was told that Prague is now a Baroque theme park for drunken Brits on stag dos. Is that not true?

Brecon
Crickhowell
Ross on Wye
Abergavenny

Oh I love Sudbury. Beautiful town. Used to go there for weekends with DH when we lived on that side of London.

It’s lacking in shops since Covid but it’s a lovely part of the world. I actually live in one of the surrounding villages. It’s super friendly without being gossipy. Great place to raise a kid. Only 25 minutes to Bury and 90 minutes to London and Cambridge.

There are loads of things wrong with Oxford but the shopping is definitely not dire! It's the best I've ever seen in a small city. The Westgate is full of flourishing chain stores of good quality. It has a John Lewis. The covered market is full of tiny indies. There are incredible book shops, good specialist cheese shops and delis, lots of quirky independents like the pen shop, the notebook shop, the kitchen utensils place. Loads of non-chain cafes, bars, pubs. And there's Cowley and Botley retail centres just a few minutes drive from the centre too for homeware, white goods, cheap big supermarkets.

I don't know about that, but I think it's
become a playground for Ukrainian people.
More in Prague apparently then in the UK alone.
😕

@Lilacdew same here in Bath. One thing that isn't dire is shopping. Used to live in Summertown by the way and Oxford was great for a 'potter' - love the market, indie bookshops etc- traffic is always awful in an attractive small city - because you know it 'attracts' people. I have learnt if I want 'life' and 'oomph' and 'a vibe' then we live with traffic and tourists etc

I have lived in Liverpool since 1990. In the 90s it was absolutely dirt poor, but there was a sense of community and people generally looked out for each other.

Things improved in the early 2000s and 2008 was a great year winning the capital of culture. Lots of the renovation and investment was very good for the city, but there are many that would argue that some of it most definitely sucked some of the soul of the city centre, especially the alternative scene

It's creeping back towards how it was in the 90s again now, especially around Huyton, dovecote, Toxteth, Kensington

I don't think I'd want to live anywhere else though. Scousers are some of the best people I've ever known. Compassionate, caring, kind, creative, hard working, and, not that it matters overly in the grand scheme of things, very well groomed as a rule

Cranleigh is rough. Some very dodgy and scary people living there. And the new developments have all been built on flood plain and the water and drainage infrastructure can't cope so Cranleigh Waters is basically an open sewer now - Thames Water at its finest.

@SusanSHelit I'm a right snob but genuinely love Liverpool and the people. It's got an air of down to earth but an edge of pzazz - last time went for a lovely meal at Mowglis on water st , followed by a few drinks at a lovely retro and vibey wine bar round the corner- really lovely evening. I've chatted to so many locals who just'love to chat' rich and not so rich. I love the Wirral too- we have friends in Heswall ( Liverpool born and bred) and although well off they are fantastically 'earthy' and really genuine people

@Alfreddoeblin Uhmm - checks right move -
3 Beds start at about £350k. But you wouldn't necessarily need a car. Transport is reasonable and plenty of emplotment.

I clicked on this thread hoping for some ideas of where to move to from Reading as I hate how awful it’s got! You can’t go into town now without being approached by beggars, druggies everywhere, disgusting litter and dog mess, so many good (especially independent) shops and restaurants closing down so it’s just off licences and barbers, huge number of HMOs and rentals meaning there’s a lack of community, etc. The only things it’s got going for it IMO now are the public transport and some of the schools.

I was thinking of exploring options in Henley or Wokingham but the commute to London from either of those is a bit rubbish, or maybe Newbury. North Oxford would be the dream but it’s out of my price range!

The issues appear to be the council daring to charge council tax. The building of apartments to turn it into a ‘dormitory town’ and the loss of high street stores. Which is ridiculous because every high street in the country is exactly the same.
There’s a tangible sense of entitlement from the white middle class boomers who have no idea what it’s like to struggle to get onto the property ladder. There’s a lot of them in West Berkshire

https://www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk/news/24282577.braintree-lingard-fabrics-rayne-road-closes/?ref=socialflow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0WntkqrmOYXts0NV8Xug9nwb5xRUZpU3LbLDtD9IvwPgnqz8-T0dpAV08_aem_ATaZFNiSfLmhMnsYJxPXYg-yjWtfXMay5V12ZmT9lXTrHtWSOZQnWPKH4Q7KOnLP814jHPz8mBbPS8dgQeho-MhP

Another bit of casual ageism and bordering on racism. Nice.

@Idontfinkso

My DS lives in Belfast and keeps sending me links to beautiful houses that cost about 2p!

Houses in Belfast are not as cheap as they used to be and there's a lot of demand for those on the market. A lot is people returning from Britain or relocating due to jobs. Yes there are cheaper areas but they're not desirable, unless you're from that specific area and want to remain there. to buy a nice 3 bed semi in a nice area (ballyhackamore, malone, stranmillis etc) you're looking minimum £300k upwards going right up to the millions.

Having lived in one of the cities that has frequently come up here as most desirable, services in NI are better in terms of bins, swimming pools, schools, kids clubs/ hobbies, investment in parks, council tax cost etc. We don't pay water charges, get free prescriptions and Uni fees are about 4k per year. Our early years childcare isn't funded like E&W though so that's crap.
Wages are generally lower, but that wasn't the case for DH and I so our quality of life is far superior.

I live in Sudbury. They’re scrapping the free parking.

I mean, the roads are dreadful - but I do love it. It's small enough to get around/nowhere is that far away; but big enough to have great bars/restaurants/events/theatres.
House prices, now.... they're another thing.

Oooh. Corbridge is one of my faves. Would seriously consider living there, if I could work fully remotely.