If you were searching for the friendliest people in Britain, London might not be your first port of call.
Residents of the capital have a reputation for being frostier than their Northern counterparts, and less likely to invite their neighbours in for a cup of tea or say thank you to the bus driver.
But new research suggests that stereotype may be unfair.
Estate agent John D Wood & Co has crunched the numbers and named an outer London borough the friendliest place to live in Britain.
And London even topped the rankings as the region that was friendliest overall, beating the North West in second place.
It analysed a range of data linked to everyday quality of life, including anti-social behaviour levels, homeownership rates, access to green space, the number of cafés, pubs and community spaces nearby, local council award wins and interest in local community events.
Top spot: This south London borough may be the friendliest place to live in Britain
Sutton in south London was number one in John D Wood’s Neighbourhood Appeal Index.
It has relatively low anti-social behaviour levels, with 15.6 incidents reported for every 1,000 residents, and 65 per cent of properties were owner-occupied.
John D Wood said areas with a higher proportion of homeowners compared to renters tended to be friendlier overall, identifying a ‘strong link between long-term residential stability and neighbourhood appeal.’
Sutton is located 10 miles south-southwest of Charing Cross. It was originally part of Surrey, but became part of Greater London in 1965.
Central London can be reached by rail in as little as 25 minutes from Sutton station.
According to the research, it has 10.36 social amenities per 10,000 residents – including cafes, pubs and community centres.
| City | Rank | Anti-social behaviour rank | % of owned properties rank | Google searches for community events | Google search change for community events | Council award wins rank | Social amenities per 10,000 people | Social amenities rank | Number of green spaces rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton | 1 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 13 | 10.36 | 5 | 22 |
| Chester | 2 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 55 | 25 | 8.84 | 6 | 38 |
| Liverpool | 3 | 9 | 41 | 30 | 12 | 2 | 2.79 | 40 | 11 |
| Durham | 4 | 36 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 19 | 17.03 | 3 | 63 |
| Bromley | 5 | 17 | 5 | 58 | 2 | 39 | 7.13 | 8 | 25 |
| Merton | 6 | 18 | 25 | 43 | 15 | 36 | 5.49 | 11 | 9 |
| Canterbury | 7 | 23 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 42 | 7.62 | 7 | 56 |
| Kensington & Chelsea | 8 | 58 | 56 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 11.42 | 4 | 18 |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | 9 | 55 | 58 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 6.47 | 9 | 24 |
| Oxford | 10 | 5 | 45 | 17 | 45 | 16 | 4.22 | 20 | 23 |
| Brighton and Hove | 11 | 26 | 33 | 32 | 3 | 35 | 5.28 | 14 | 35 |
| Greenwich | 12 | 43 | 49 | 9 | 1 | 26 | 4.01 | 22 | 29 |
| Leicester | 13 | 28 | 42 | 40 | 4 | 18 | 3.61 | 28 | 26 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 14 | 48 | 37 | 21 | 17 | 43 | 4.74 | 17 | 8 |
| Croydon | 15 | 40 | 26 | 4 | 9 | 40 | 3.12 | 35 | 37 |
| Luton | 16 | 12 | 28 | 24 | 18 | 37 | 4.35 | 18 | 55 |
| Coventry | 17 | 2 | 22 | 23 | 48 | 24 | 3.56 | 29 | 46 |
| Peterborough | 18 | 44 | 27 | 25 | 19 | 20 | 3.98 | 23 | 39 |
| Harrow | 19 | 32 | 16 | 6 | 20 | 45 | 3.07 | 36 | 42 |
| Waltham Forest | 20 | 42 | 35 | 16 | 53 | 12 | 4.29 | 19 | 20 |
| Source: John D Wood & Co /ONS/PropertySolvers/Propertistics | |||||||||
Residents have access to an average of 5.84 public gardens within a 1,000-metre radius of their home, and Sutton council has won seven awards for its community initiatives.
The area is home to the expansive Beddington Park, which covers 58 hectares and offers woodland walks, a lake and children’s playground.
The gothic revival Nonsuch mansion historical site is on the borders of Sutton and neighbouring Cheam, and the area also houses Sutton United football club and the St Nicholas shopping centre.
North West takes spots two and three
Chester in Cheshire came in second in the friendliness rankings.
The cathedral city close to the Welsh border had just 7.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 people, around half that reported in Sutton, and also boasts a high home ownership level of 69.4 per cent.
Residents enjoy an average of 4.84 public parks, playing fields and gardens within a 1,000-metre radius, and 8.84 social amenities for every 10,000 residents.
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Aside from its cathedral, Chester is known for its Roman history and has city walls which still exist to this day.
It is also home to Chester Zoo and the unique, two-tiered shopping parade called The Rows which has its origins in medieval times.
In third place in the friendliness rankings was Liverpool.
Anti-social behaviour was relatively low at 13.5 reports per 1,000 residents, while there has also been a notable spike in online searches for community events.
The Merseyside city also scored strongly on access to green space, with residents having an average of 6.84 public parks, gardens or playing fields within a 1,000-metre radius.
Elsewhere, Durham took the fourth spot thanks to having plenty of social amenities at 17 per 10,000 local residents.
London was represented again at positions five, six, eight and nine by Bromley, Merton, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, while the remaining spots in the top 10 went to Canterbury and Oxford.
