Situated in east London, Newham is one of the most culturally diverse boroughs in the UK, and is set to be one of the host boroughs for the 2012 Olympic Games being held in London. Indeed, an 80,000-seater stadium is set to be erected in Stratford for the occasion.
Live in Newham? Are we bang on or totally wide of the mark? Discuss with others and rate the area >>
Just a few miles to the east of the super-rich City, Newham has to face lots of challenges. Health, unemployment, crime and teenage pregnancy levels are alarming. It has many of the downsides of living in London and few of the benefits - except the kind you get off the social. Hopefully the local regeneration project will help give Newham some new hope.
Certainly, sport and recreation is a central theme throughout Newham, which is home to football club West Ham United. Despite being one of the more densely populated areas of London - its population is around 254,000 people - nearly 10 per cent of the borough is green space and more than 20 parks fall within its boundaries, providing more than enough room for outdoor activity and simultaneously giving childhood obesity a good kick in the nether regions.
A treasure trove of Norman churches and Victorian architecture, Newham's heritage is clear and disparate. The oldest tidal mill in Britain resides here, as does the North Woolwich Old Station Museum, the only steam railway museum in London.
Overlooking the Thames, Newham - which found itself positioned fourth in the corresponding list for 2006 - has an average house price of just over £225,000, although that's surely counter-balanced by the cost of insurance in an area where the rate of robberies per 1,000 of the population is nearly ten times the national average.
In terms of education, girls learning at Newham schools have recorded an average score of 393 at GCSE and Key Stage Four level, which places the borough above the national average score of 385 among female pupils.
It seems, though, that such educational achievements are far from a guarantee of a bright, prosperous future. Unemployment among women of working age in Newham is at a rather alarming 17.3 per cent, compared with the mean national rate of 4.8 per cent. Nevertheless, the average hourly rate among female residents is higher than the average across the UK, faring better than their male counterparts in this respect at least, while people who are actually working in Newham have an even greater share of the spoils.
<< 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 Newham and the other 434 UK boroughs >>
Find out which borough came in at 2nd in our Worst 20 >>
Local area info on Newham from upmystreet.com >>
Newham London Borough Council >>
Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp give us their top ten tips on beating the house price slump
Restoring a property can be tricky so Kevin McCloud gives you his tips and advice
4Homes picks the top ten weirdest and most bizarre Grand Designs houses
Your Comments
Post your comment
Please note: In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in to Channel 4:
Sign In Here or Register Here
Comments closed
Comments are closed at the present time
Comments
Thank you for your comment!
Your message will be reviewed and the best ones will be published below.
If you intended to make an official comment to Channel 4 please contact us.
Comments