Mansfield: 9th Worst Place To Live 2007 | 4Homes

Date Published:: 04/06/2008

Mansfield's crowded outdoor market place continues over 700 years of tradition, after its first shopping charter was first granted in 1227. The rich history of the location is reinforced by the nearby Old Town Hall, which was completed in 1836.

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Phil And Kirstie's View

Mansfield's here thanks to a poor health record. It has terrible smoking and obesity stats, which mean the hospitals have their work cut out. Throw in high diabetes rates, hip injuries and a whole host of other ailments and it's clear why Mansfield has higher than average number on sickness benefits.

Poor exam results seal Mansfield's fate and it's only saved from falling lower thanks to low carbon emissions.

Area Guide: Mansfield

Situated on the River Maun - which the town takes its name from (Maun's Field) - the Nottinghamshire town is old enough to have received a mention in the Domesday Book. There are plenty of places to get some fresh air and exercise, or just take in the views, across Mansfield's 600 acres of parks and open spaces. This is bound to be fantastic news to residents with children, and recent developments that have been undertaken have added a host of sports and recreational facilities to the assorted play areas, while allotments, woodlands and walkways provide ideal locations for a gentle stroll.

Mansfield, cited as the sixth least desirable place to live in the UK in 2005, is a relatively cheap place to reside, though. The average house price here is around £136,000, although it doesn't seem to have benefited as much as other areas from the nationwide boom in property prices, rising by merely three per cent in the past year.

The number of people living here who hold no qualifications is fewer than the national average, with only 12.5 per cent of its population being sans-certificates. Furthermore, unemployment compares favourably with other parts of the country, and the number of people in Mansfield claiming Job Seeker's Allowance for more than 12 months is just 11.7 per cent, nearly five per cent lower than the national average.

Despite this, the rate of vehicle thefts that takes place here is nearly twice the national average, and household burglaries are also more common than the mean rate nationally, at a rate of 7.6 per thousand of the population (compared with a national average of 4.3). All of which suggests that residents should always be on the look-out in the face of crime.