Is Newark and Sherwood a good place to live? Sunday Times study ranked 291 councils in England
In a national report, Newark and Sherwood has been ranked in the top 100 safest places to live in the country, but is one of the worst for schools.
The list, compiled by The Sunday Times, ranked each district in England from first to 291st based on nine different data metrics
These were; crime rates, school successes (Ofsted reports and Progress 8, which measures improvements made by secondary school pupils), NHS treatment targets, waiting times, and GP satisfaction, the number of listed buildings per area, community-listed companies and number of parks with Green Flags.
Newark and Sherwood was ranked as the 166th best place to live in England.
Compared to neighbouring areas, the district was placed just above South Kesteven, which was ranked at 181st, but fell behind Rushcliffe, which was listed in 147th place.
A positive for Newark and Sherwood was that the area falls within the top 100 safest places in England for crime, at 99th place.
More data weighing in the district’s favour was a 65th place ranking for the number of listed buildings across the area — with 1,398 — and 59th place for Green Flag parks, as Newark and Sherwood has five.
However, its worst ranking was for schools, placing in 269th, just 22 places off the bottom spot in England — with just 6% of schools ranked as Outstanding by Ofsted.
There was also a poor showing for the number of community-listed companies, at just 2.3 registered per 10,000 residents.
When it comes to healthcare it was fairly middle of the road as NHS targets place in 121st, with 59% seen for treatment within 18 weeks, while NHS waiting times came in at 115th, with an average waiting time of 14.4 weeks.
There was also a 74% GP satisfaction, earning the district a 151st place.
The top five best places to live in England were Richmond (London), Cheltenham (Gloucestershire), Stroud (Gloucestershire), Merton (London) and Ribble Valley (Lincolnshire), while the bottom five were Rushmoor (Hampshire), Basildon (Essex), Dudley (West Midlands), Castle Point (Essex) and Boston.
Warwick was named the best area in the Midlands, ranking 21st, while St Albans topped the list of best places to live in the East of England, listed 47th.
