Richard Guttridge, Agenda Editor for BirminghamLive, visited both Skipton in North Yorkshire and Walsall in the West Midlands after a Rightmove study named them respectively as the UK's happiest place and the fifth least happy. The study, which sent experts across the country to sample residents' views on their hometowns, produced a ranking based on whether locals thought their town was good and whether they enjoyed living there.
Skipton: The Gateway to the Dales
Guttridge reports it is difficult to argue with Skipton's title as the happiest place in the UK. The historic market town, known as the 'Gateway to the Dales', is situated in the Yorkshire Dales with spectacular scenery for miles around. Its high street is vibrant, offering plenty of places to eat, drink and shop, and a stunning castle at one end for visitors to marvel at, alongside Holy Trinity Church.
The town benefits from factors that Walsall does not, making it not really an even playing field. Guttridge notes that people seem happy there, but most would probably be happier in such a scenic location, away from the noise and crime of big-city life. Average earnings in leafy North Yorkshire tend to be higher, and people are naturally more content with fewer money worries and more disposable income for holidays and nights out.
Walsall: The Impact of Urban Challenges
Walsall, in the Black Country, is considered the most miserable in the Midlands and the fifth least happy in the country. The town has plenty of history and charm but is also urban and industrial. Walsall has suffered with high rates of crime and deprivation in recent years, likely responsible for bringing down the overall mood. The cost-of-living crisis has bitten hard, the high street has declined, and there is an overall sense of drift.
Walsall perhaps also suffers from being so close to big-city Birmingham, where locals may instead look for work, shopping and nightlife. Walking along the high street, Guttridge says you do get the sense that Walsall has been left behind a little.
Is the Label Fair?
Guttridge suspects there is not much separating Walsall and other industrial, working-class towns of the Midlands and north, which experience similar challenges. Walsall was far from the only West Midlands area where locals were dissatisfied, reflecting a wider mood in the region. The town had neighbouring Birmingham and Dudley for company in the bottom 20 of the ranking.
