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?

I agree about the litter problem. But had people staying recently and took them round town, the castle and took the aquabus to the bay and had a great time. No drunks or drug deals noticed.

And the Victorian arcades have some fascinating little shops.

I know a number of people who have left the UK. Few say it's any better where they are now - and that ranges from Norway to NSW via Ontario.

Well - Bristol, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Leeds, Stroud, Frome, Bath, Winchester, Salisbury, Cardiff and Cambridge all have lots of nice bits as far as I can see (I spend time in them all for various work/social/living reasons)

I don’t think everywhere has gone to the dogs by any means - that’s a crazy idea - but services are stretched and that’s going to send some places over the edge.

Herefordshire/shropshire.

Last year I had cause to give an elderly neighbour a lift to Frome and was astonished at the independent shops, four open high street banks, great coffee shops, restaurants etc. If you lived in a town like that I could see it would be hard to believe how bad it can get elsewhere.

Frome has weathered the last decade of hard times very well due to a sizeable influx of wealthier residents moving from London and elsewhere. For a long time, it has felt much more resistant to recession that elsewhere, but I would say that even places like this are now, even just in the last year or two, starting to change.
The four banks that you saw will shortly be down to one, the post office closed, and a sizeable number of lovely restaurants have gone in the last year.
The district council has been absorbed into a now essentially bankrupt larger council structure, and Frome Town Council have had to take on many extra responsibilities which will, I'm certain, leave the town in a worse financial position than before.
There are some huge housing estates planned as well, further altering the nature of the town.
It's still nice of course, but just demonstrating that even places like that are not impervious to the changes that are happening all over the country.

That post was meant to be quoting @MotherOfCatBoy visiting Frome!

In lots of places the rot set in before online shopping due to the huge out of town shopping centres and retail parks and anti-car councils! In our town, our town centre was dead 20 years ago - that was before online became so popular!

Yeh it's not helped though.
I laugh at my colleagues complaining about our shit town centre when they buy everything online.

It's not tricky to work out. Towns that are affluent compared to the average are doing better than places that were traditionally working class. No where is really on the up because the economy is so stagnant, so it's places that provide good access to high paying jobs, and are more expensive as a result of bidding power.

@noideabutstilltrying the market in Bury is definitely still running, don't know why you say its not. I bought a fab pair of earrings from a stall there a couple of weeks ago. I think BSE is lovely.

Norwich is lovely but a very long way from anywhere else.

We used to live in Cambridge which was fab but very expensive houses. We moved to a small market town in East Suffolk last year and its lovely. Loads of good shops and near the coast. the downside is our nearest big town is Ipswich, which is a dump.

Shame that even in nice towns there are pressures they can’t withstand.

trains from Peterborough, no railway station at Stamford, wonderfully mellow hued town
I bought a pair of well priced designer wellies in a charity shop - exclaimed there was still mud in the grooves of the sole ! assistant countered with - yes but its Burghley mud !

Norwich

Golden glow. Asda. His new Nike trainers, red.
"Oi babe, none of that posh tosh."
Starlings. Herald of spring.

/Uses her mindreading abilities on @muddyford 🔮

@BakedTattie - lovely place where you live. But as you say, you need deep pockets to live there! I used to love going out on 'Sula'. it's within a day-trip distance from where we live. Must go again soon 😀

Only half an hour by train to Edinburgh

Most posts on here are talking about places much further south although not all. Kind of gives you an insight where members of MN are mainly based around the country!

London

On a similar thread I once said that I really liked Dundee and Aberdeen - I was absolutely shot down! (I'm preparing for that again now.....)

🥰

unless you have cake ?

Oi !

Ipswich? I mean, it’s got some beautiful buildings and parks, it’s packed with history and there’s a thriving arts scene etc but there are NO shops, the town centre is a deserted wasteland, drug dealers openly operate on the streets and the signs of poverty are everywhere.

you have exactly described our (adopted) town

This

Northumberland towns are always being voted the best place to live/best beach etc..in the country.

I'm there.