Lincolnshire named in list of worst places in England to live - surely not?

Comparison platform B.heard works on a Dependability Index, which is based on a wealth of data points from a variety of regulatory sources and includes crime rates, schools, fire services, planning and health.

Humberside was found to be the worst region to live for essential services overall, ranking second worst for schools and third worst for number of fire staff.

Northamptonshire, Essex, the West Midlands, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Kent, London and Lincolnshire make up the remaining 10 worst places to live.

Dorset is the best place to live in England. The remaining regions making up the top 10 include North Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Surrey, Cheshire, Northumbria, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Cumbria and Warwickshire.

The unique B.heard study is the first to combine nationally published stats on essential public services with the results of public opinion surveys, comparing people’s perceptions with statistical information used by the government.

An additional study conducted by B.heard among a representative sample of 1,000 adults found that most people (61%) believe they either have a weak voice or no voice at all when it comes to how their local services – including doctors, schools and fire services – are run.

B.heard CEO Oscar Vickerman said: “B.heard is about giving people the full picture – whether that’s how dependable their bank is or how efficient their local council is. This latest study builds on our work to gather all available data from regulators and government bodies and turn this into transparent, useful information for us all.

“The majority of people believe they simply don’t have a voice when it comes to how their local services are run. The first step to address this is to give everyone a clear picture of the standard of service they are receiving.”

10 best places to live (based on all measures, including crime, health, schools, homelessness and deprivation)

1) Dorset

2) North Yorkshire

3) Gloucestershire

4) Surrey

5) Cheshire

6) Northumbria

7) Hampshire

8) Hertfordshire

9) Cumbria

10) Warwickshire

10 worst places to live (based on all measures, including crime, health, schools, homelessness and deprivation)

1) Humberside

2) Northamptonshire

3) Joint South Yorkshire, West Midlands & Essex

6) West Yorkshire

7) Cambridgeshire

8) Kent

9) London

10) Lincolnshire

10 best and worst places in England for GP satisfaction

Best:

1) North Yorkshire

2) Devon & Cornwall

3) Dorset

4) Durham

5) Gloucestershire

6) Cumbria

7) Suffolk

8) Northumbria

9) West Mercia

10) Derbyshire

Worst:

1) London

2) West Midlands

3) Essex

4) Leicestershire

5) Northamptonshire

6) Kent

7) South Yorkshire

8) Thames Valley

9) Bedfordshire

10) West Yorkshire

10 safest and least safe places in England (crimes reported per 1,000 people)

Best:

1) North Yorkshire

2) Surrey

3) Devon & Cornwall

4) Wiltshire

5) Lincolnshire

6) Gloucestershire

7) Dorset

8) Hertfordshire

9) Derbyshire

10) Cheshire

Worst:

1) London

2) Cleveland

3) Greater Manchester

4) West Yorkshire

5) Merseyside

6) Humberside

7) South Yorkshire

8) Nottinghamshire

9) Northamptonshire

10) West Midlands

Map of the England’s best and worst regions for education (highest proportion of Outstanding schools)

Best:

1) London

2) Surrey

3) Cheshire

4) Dorset

5) Greater Manchester

6) Northumbria

7) Hertfordshire

8) Bedfordshire

9) Merseyside

10) Durham

Worst:

1) Norfolk

2) Humberside

3) Sussex

4) Staffordshire

5) Cambridgeshire

6) Cumbria

7) Derbyshire

8) Essex

9) Northamptonshire

10) Joint Suffolk and Devon & Cornwall

10 best and worst according areas for planning applications processed in the agreed timeframe

Best:

1) West Yorkshire

2) Cleveland

3) West Midlands

4) Warwickshire

5) Nottinghamshire

6) South Yorkshire

7) Bedfordshire

8) Greater Manchester

9) Northamptonshire

10) Hertfordshire

Worst:

1) Lancashire

2) Devon & Cornwall

3) Durham

4) Lincolnshire

5) Joint Norfolk and Wiltshire

6) West Mercia

7) Avon & Somerset

8) Joint Leicestershire and Cumbria

9) Sussex

10 most and least deprived areas

Best:

1) Surrey

2) Thames Valley

3) Hertfordshire

4) North Yorkshire

5) Wiltshire

6) Dorset

7) Devon & Cornwall

8) Hampshire

9) Cambridgeshire

10) Sussex

Worst:

1) West Midlands

2) Merseyside

3) Nottinghamshire

4) South Yorkshire

5) Cleveland

6) Greater Manchester

7) Durham

8) Avon & Somerset

9) West Yorkshire

10) Northumbria

10 best and worst regions for supporting homeless people

Best:

1) Cumbria

2) Cleveland

3) Cheshire

4) Durham

5) Lancashire

6) South Yorkshire

7) Merseyside

8) North Yorkshire

9) Avon & Somerset

10) Leicestershire

Worst:

1) Devon & Cornwall

2) London

3) West Midlands

4) Cambridgeshire

5) Warwickshire

6) Hertfordshire

7) Bedfordshire

8) Gloucestershire

9) Essex

10) Kent

10 highest and lowest regions for fire staff per household intensity

Best:

1) West Mercia

2) Cumbria

3) Sussex

4) Avon & Somerset

5) Norfolk

6) Hampshire

7) Suffolk

8) Gloucestershire

9) Merseyside

10) Staffordshire

Worst:

1) South Yorkshire

2) Wiltshire

3) Humberside

4) Surrey

5) Durham

6) West Yorkshire

7) London

8) Devon & Cornwall

9) Lincolnshire

10) Greater Manchester