Best & Worst Places To Live Burnley: 19th Worst

Date Published:

03/06/2008

A large northern town situated in Lancashire, Burnley was a prime beneficiary of the rampant expansion which took place in Britain during the Industrial Revolution.

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Phil And Kirstie's View

This large industrial town in the North West of Lancashire has poor education and over a quarter of children living in poverty - it's not a great place to grow up! But the good news is, for the national average you can pick up five traditional terrace properties.

Mills and markets still stand as part of its lengthy past, but many of the remnants of Burnley's history - and particularly its manufacturing-led roots - have now disappeared, much like many other towns in the north of England.

Burnley's countryside, however, remains an integral part of the borough, and despite its past being most notable for smoke and machines, there is a wealth of woods, farmlands and waterways. Hills and moorlands also pepper the borough which, deceptively, consists of two-thirds country landscapes, with the South Pennine Moors being just one example of Burnley's rich rural expanse.

The average house price is Burnley is just above £141,000, which is up by a considerable 23 per cent on 2006. While the rate of robbery offences here is lower than the national average, crime generally is up on the average rate across the country, which is sure to keep the Lancashire constabulary on their toes.

In terms of education, the percentage of people with NVQ four level qualifications or above is lower than the national average by seven per cent, at around 20 per cent. Elsewhere, of those who are unemployed and claiming Job Seeker's Allowance, 80.5per cent claim this for up to six months, which is 14 per cent higher than the national average. In stark contrast, the percentage claiming these benefits for more than 12 months is at only 6.3 per cent, compared with a national average of 16.1 per cent.

Of those who are in gainful employment, the percentage of people who work in manufacturing jobs is nearly twice the national average, at 21.9 per cent, which indicates that while Burnley's most golden industrial age ended several years ago, its legacy is still evident and pulses throughout the area.

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Local area info on Burnley from upmystreet.com >>

Burnley Borough Council >>

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