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 that stereotype may be unfair, research suggests.
Estate agent John D Wood & Co has crunched the numbers and named an outer London borough as 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: The south London borough of Sutton is said to 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 explained that 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 ten miles south-west 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 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.
Sutton is home to streets of classic London terraced housing and several public gardens
Sutton has four conservation areas including the Landseer Road – home to large period villas
North West takes spots two and three for friendliness
Chester came in second in the friendliness rankings.
The Cheshire cathedral city 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 from the period which still exist today.
It is also home to Chester Zoo and the unique, two-tiered shopping parade called The Rows built 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 ten went to Canterbury and Oxford.
