In its debut appearance in this list, the Merseyside borough of Knowsley counts Liverpool and England star Steven Gerrard among those to emerge from the area.
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So what makes Knowsley so bad? Well poverty is a problem, with more than twice the national average living on benefits! The only thing lighting up their lives are cigarettes: more people die from smoking here than anywhere else in England. And from fags to Tags...
Last year, 20,000 crimes were reported, and another nail in Knowsley's coffin is the lack of amenities, with very few bars, restaurants and hotels. Knowsley's superb sports facilities are enough to keep it from falling further down our list, it's a shame they don't get much use though... with just one in 10 residents exercising regularly.
Steven Gerrard has recently been granted the freedom of the borough, thanks to his contribution to football and his presence as a positive role model for local youngsters. It remains to be seen whether he'll fully exploit the benefits of the privileges afforded to him, which apparently include being allowed to drive his sheep down the main street of his home town of Huyton. Now that's real power.
Other famous faces to have grown up in Knowsley include actor Sir Rex Harrison, footballers Terry McDermott and Phil Thompson, and former Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Other instantly recognisable, but less human, products of Knowsley include the Jaguar X-type and the Land Rover Freelander, built at the Halewood Operations plant, which now gives visitors a behind-the-scenes peek at the motor manufacturing process.
In complete contrast, the borough also includes Knowsley Safari Park, a 550-acre park with a considerable number of species of birds and mammals. A host of green space projects point towards environmental improvements, too, while the private parklands and fine art collection at Knowsley Hall provide further attractions, in addition to a major music festival which takes place at the site.
With all that potential for distraction, perhaps it's no surprise that schooling has suffered here. Knowsley not only has one of the very lowest success rates in the country at GCSE level, with barely 26 per cent of pupils achieving five GCSE passes including English and Maths - the mean national rate is a considerably healthier 45.8 per cent - but also has the dubious claim that a certificate-dodging 26 per cent of its population holds no formal qualifications, almost twice the national average of 13.8 per cent.
<< Go back to the index to learn about more places in the top and bottom 20
Have your say and see what other people are saying about Knowsley and the other 433 UK boroughs >>
Find out which borough came in at 9th in our worst 20 >>
Local area info on Knowsley from upmystreet.com >>
Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council >>
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