Experts looked at various factors including GP waiting times and Ofsted school reports and (Image: HampshireLive – Grahame Larter)
A local authority recently hailed as one of the “happiest” in place to live in the UK has since become one of the worst, according to a ranking based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.
Back in 2018, Rushmoor, a borough includes Aldershot and Farnborough, topped the happiness chart in study by the ONS, with residents saying they rate their life satisfaction at 8.35 out of 10, as per .
This put it well above the 7.7 out of 10 national average.
At the time, Rushmoor reportedly had below-average preventable deaths as well as very low rates of unemployment and good wages, with a typical full-time worker taking home £551.40 per week.
The ONS data was compiled between April 2017 and March 2018 and broken down by local authority, as per the outlet.
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Rushmoor borough includes Aldershot, known for its long-running links with armed services. (Image: HampshireLive – Grahame Larter)
But this week, published together a list of best places to live in Britain based on figures from the non-ministerial department and painted a completely different picture.
To make the rankings, the paper said it “combined nine different data sets covering a range of different categories for every local authority in Britain”, with statistics including Ofsted reports, local crime rates, and GP waiting times.
Among other factors taken into consideration were the number of parks and community assets and listed buildings.
Ranking at the bottom in England was Rushmoor, which saw some of the worst scores in the country for the percentage of patients seen for treatment in 18 weeks after referral as of October 2024.
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Farnbrough (Image: HampshireLive – Grahame Larter)
But the area did see strong scores among its , which rank 35th in Britain.
is a major centre of the country’s military establishment, with army links going back a long way. A military camp was established at the town of Aldershot in 1854–55 and it’s now the home of the permanent military base in the country, as per .
Farnborough is perhaps best known for its rich aviation history, including the Farnborough International Airshow, Farnborough Airport, Royal Aircraft Establishment, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
According to , house prices in Rushmoor have an overall average of £359,283 over the last year.
The majority of properties sold in the borough during the last year were flats, being snapped up for average price of £281,996, the property portal says on its website.
Meanwhile, terraced properties sold for an average of £488,333, with detached properties going for £605,500.
Rushmoor Borough Council has been contacted for comment.