Isles of Scilly named England's friendliest area in new index

A new ranking of 296 local authority areas in England has identified the Isles of Scilly as the nation’s friendliest place. The index, part of the ‘National Conversation’ initiative, utilized government community life survey data to measure social metrics such as neighborly interaction, loneliness, civic engagement, and local pride.

In the top five rankings, the Isles of Scilly was followed by South Hams in Devon, West Devon, Derbyshire Dales, and Richmond upon Thames. At the lower end of the scale, Barking and Dagenham was named the least friendly area. Residents in Barking and Dagenham reported higher levels of loneliness than the national average, with 10.1% stating they feel lonely often or always, compared to 6.6% across England. The borough also recorded lower levels of local pride and formal volunteering than the national average.

Other areas identified in the bottom five include Stoke-on-Trent, Ashfield, Mansfield, and Ipswich. The findings are intended to inform a forthcoming report by the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, an organization led by Sajid Javid and Jon Cruddas aimed at addressing social disconnection and division in the United Kingdom.