The ‘unhappiest’ UK city that Wilko and JD Sports deserted – ‘nothing on the excessive road’ | UK | News | EUROtoday

The UK is filled with picturesque gems, from the historic, winding streets of North Yorkshire’s Skipton, to Richmond upon Thames’ parks and riverside walks. But whereas many Britons are beaming with native pleasure, a brand new research has spotlighted the areas the place the temper is significantly decrease.

According to the newest information, one particular nook of London has been slapped with the undesirable title of the unhappiest place to dwell within the UK. The findings come from Rightmove’s annual Happy at Home Index, a large research that polls hundreds of individuals throughout greater than 200 places. To decide the rankings, residents are requested to fee their hometowns primarily based on 15 key “happiness factors,” together with: neighborhood spirit, entry to nature, the friendliness of neighbours and native facilities. While some cities celebrated excessive scores, Barking and Dagenham discovered itself on the very backside of the 2025 checklist. The East London borough was ranked because the “saddest” place within the nation, failing to impress residents throughout the board when in comparison with the UK’s extra cheerful areas.

It’s a bitter capsule to swallow for Barking and Dagenham, which has seen its fame sink even additional during the last 12 months. In final yr’s survey, it was already struggling because the third unhappiest place in Britain. However, any hopes of a turnaround have been dashed, with the world now plummeting to final out of all 220 places featured within the research.

Rob Vinton, a Dagenham native all his life, agreed with the rating, telling the Express: “It’s just got completely downhill. Too much street crime”.

Pointing to the hilly excessive road, Rob added: “There’s nothing on the hill anymore”.

He stated there was much more enterprise within the space that made it value visiting: “There used to be a Woolworths, we had a Wilko before it shut down, we had a JD Sports. There used to be companies. Now there’s just fruit stalls.”

The city is stuffed with these fruit stalls primarily because of the City of London Corporation’s failed plan to construct a large new wholesale meals market at Dagenham Dock to consolidate London’s main meals markets. The plan aimed to spice up Barking and Dagenham’s financial system.

“A lot of people are moving out, and the wrong sort of people are moving in,” he added.

For Rob, to enhance life for Dagenham’s locals, an energetic police pressure is required, in addition to a restrict positioned on the variety of firms attempting to promote the identical merchandise. The city can also be in determined want of a clear, as “it’s quite messy”, he added.

Preslava Slavov, who has solely lived in Dagenham for the final six months, believes enhancements to the city’s infrastructure and transport system are very important.

“The high street needs more places for younger people, like a bowling alley, as there aren’t many places for entertainment,” she stated.

She added that Dagenham is a rougher space than she is used to, having just lately moved from Chingford, on the northeastern fringe of London, which was traditionally a part of Essex. She moved to Dagenham due to a budget hire.

However, for Preslava, the transport system additionally must be improved: “It needs to be quicker into central London. We have the tube station, but it’s still nearly an hour into the centre, which is quite a lot if someone is working full-time. It’s two hours of your life.”

She additionally shared concern in regards to the success of small companies within the space: “I don’t think that these small shops would be able to make much profit. I don’t think these little Eastern European shops will have much business.”

Despite the borough’s dismal rating, one native enterprise proprietor is on a mission to inject some “artisanal” pleasure again into Dagenham. Having lived within the space for a yr, Riya Roy opened her patisserie, Sugaroholic, inside Dagenham Heathway Shopping Centre to offer residents with high-end treats and a neighborhood hub, saving them the trek to Central London. She additionally hopes to increase sooner or later and open extra outlets.

While acknowledging that native providers, comparable to GPs, may very well be improved and that many residents are on tight budgets, she firmly disagreed with the “unhappiest” label, praising the pleasant nature of Dagenham’s native folks and the robust sense of neighborhood.

“I don’t think [the ranking] is correct,” Riya stated. “The people here are good. They communicate very well. I see most of them are older people who want to come out, sit, and talk to others.”

Riya believes the important thing to revitalising the city lies in development and social connection. By introducing Indian snacks and desserts to cater to the big native South Asian neighborhood, she hopes to encourage older residents and neighbours to get out of the home and socialise.

She argued that the excessive road wants extra various companies and cafes to thrive, suggesting that extra native funding – moderately than unfavorable labels – is what the world must flourish.

The Express contacted the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and a council spokesperson stated: “Barking and Dagenham is changing for the better. Surveys don’t always tell the full story, and we know this is a place full of ambition, resilience, and opportunity. Our ‘It Starts Here’ campaign is all about celebrating what makes this borough unique and what great things are happening here.

“We have challenges, however that’s not the entire story. We punch above our weight,” adding that they have attracted billions in investment and created thousands of affordable homes, boast award-winning parks and schools with GCSE and A-level results outperforming national trends, fantastic transport links and have secured £1.5 million from the Government’s ‘Pride in Place’ programme – one of only a few London boroughs to do so – to further invest in their neighbourhoods.

“We know many residents are proud to call this place home, and they want the positive story told. Barking and Dagenham has so many strengths and together with our partners, we’ll keep building the future we all want to see. It Starts Here.”