Inside the UK’s ‘worst town’ as locals claim ‘there’s nowhere worse in world’

Bitterly cold, grey and devoid of the hustle and bustle you would normally associate with a town in the midst of its morning throng, this is Aldershot in Rushmoor which has just been named as the worst place to live in Britain. 

The Hampshire district was given the title no area of the UK wants after analysis by the Sunday Times. 

The stark conclusion was based on a range of factors including local crime – in Aldershot, it is nearly 50% higher than the rest of the South East – Ofsted school ratings that in this case show two local schools are inadequate and one requires improvement, and NHS waiting times that are currently some of the worst in the country.

Basildon in Essex and Dudley in the West Midlands were also slated in the survey. 

It’s not hard to see their effects as you arrive in Rushmoor’s main town of Aldershot. A gloomy silence hangs over the high street with only a small group of people, mainly pensioners, huddled together chatting to break the silence. 

By comparison, the London borough of Richmond, is reportedly the best place in Britain. Great schools, 80% GP satisfaction and the lowest crime rate in London, Richmond has it all, albeit with an average house price of £748,000.

The two places are a scant 30 miles from one another, but today Aldershot seems like a different planet from Richmond’s buzzing high street. 

Outside one of the fast-depleting businesses still open, Jenny’s Cafe and Restaurant, we meet 80-year-old George, a retired builder and gardener.

“It’s so run down,” he sighs. George has lived in Ash, right next to the town that has proudly called itself home to the British Army for more than a century, for 70 years. 

Next to the cafe is a vacant piece of land which used to be occupied by The Galleries shopping centre. It was demolished as part of a project to build flats but for now leaves a gaping hole in the once-bustling town centre. With construction imminent, security barriers hide the barren landscape. 

“How can you demolish a building that’s stood for 20 years just to build another in its place?” George asks. “It’s money wasted.”

Wrapped in a purple coat to shield her from the cold, local June Hood, 80, echoes George’s lament at the demise of the area. “It’s dreadful,” she says.

The retired chef, who lives in neighbouring Ash Vale, reminisces about the town in decades gone by. She says: “I miss it so much. Marks & Spencer and Woolworths. There used to be Army people. The soldiers would always look smart. Now there’s nothing. They’re all down and out. People sit in the doorways with fried chicken boxes and cans of beer.” 

Established in 1854, when the then War Department bought a large area of land near what was then a small village of Aldershot, it has long been seen as the home of the British Army.

While nearby Aldershot Garrison remains as busy as ever, it’s unclear whether soldiers are now avoiding the town because of its apparent decline, are less visible because of security concerns, or if their social routines have changed in recent years.

That aside, the consensus amongst the group is that more shops are needed. 

A 70-year-old friend of George’s, who has lived in Aldershot since 1972, does not wish to be named, but simply demands: “Get some shops in here.”

He describes Wellington Shopping Centre across the road as “empty”, and points to the recent closure of the town’s Wilko as evidence of the area’s sub-standard amenities. 

“You can’t buy the essentials that you need here anymore,” he adds. “There’s no shoe shop here; that’s gone.”

Before imploring our reporter not to work as we part ways, George mentions the state of local roads.

He says: “I cycle sometimes. I’m scared to come out at night. If you don’t know where the holes [in the roads] are, you could kill yourself.”

As we walk along Union Street, a man and woman, who decline to give their names, have their say. “It is the worst place,” the woman agrees. “We were going to the charity shop the other day, and there was this bloke outside selling drugs. This has got to be the worst place on Earth. Where are the police to deal with all these drug dealers?” 

The man points out that the town has a big police station, but claims you “never see” a police officer. The local hospital, Frimley Park, however, the woman cannot fault, describing it as “brilliant”. 

Although they claim it is quicker to just phone 111 rather than try and get a GP appointment at the local surgery. Two surgeries in the area are currently rated as requiring improvement by the Care Quality Commission – the same miserable verdict also bestowed upon three care homes in the area.

However, there is some escape from the doom and gloom and the pair – who have lived in Aldershot for more than 30 years – say the local theatre is a real plus point.

But, when asked about the area’s diversity, the man adds: “Because it’s multinational… you can’t talk to people. There is no community with all the various nationalities that are moving here.” 

He also mentions the development of student housing at the end of the street. 

“They’ve probably spent millions building accommodation for students at a university in the next county, and yet we’ve got homeless people in Aldershot.”

Jimmy Hughes, 75, is passing by and joins in the conversation while carrying a hot drink from McDonald’s. He has lived in the area since 1962.

Pointing out various parts of the street, he explains: “That was a pub, that was a pub. It was so full of soldiers. Aldershot, it was like Clapham Junction. You look at it now, and it’s all gone. There were two butchers’ shops here – I took my first job in one when I left school. I used to see all the scooters come down here in the 1960s. When I see Aldershot now, it’s completely changed.”

As well as a Dewhurst butchers’, there also used to be a branch of Burton tailors’. 

Working in the Little Asia household goods shop on Victoria Road is Anuj Grurng. 

The 33-year-old moved to the UK six years ago from Nepal. He says: “For the past five years now, the Nepalese community has increased. It’s kind of like a stronghold. Immigrants like us come all the way from our country, it’s very easy for all the Nepalese to come into one place. It kind of acts like a magnet.”

He then compares the Hampshire town, which is home to Gurkhas serving in the British Army, to Southall in London, where many people from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan live.

Mr Grurng, who is originally from the Gorkha region, says that it has become easier for people to move to Aldershot from Nepal as age limits on the members of a soldiers’ extended family who can join them have recently become more lenient.

Consequently, of late more Nepalese shops had opened, and there are now 17 or 18 restaurants specialising in the country’s cuisine. 

Seven out of 10 of Mr Grurng’s relatives in the UK live near to or in Aldershot.

It’s a “very good” place to live, he says. This is especially the case for older people because, if they live outside Aldershot, they have a “language barrier”. Mr Grurng adds that he often gets people coming into his shop to ask for help with British paperwork or arranging GP appointments.

Some locals disagree with the recent poor ranking in the Sunday Times survey. 

When Peter Nicholls, 85, a retired plumber who was born in nearby Farnham, was told that Rushmoor had been rated as the worst place to call home in the country, he says: “You must be joking. There’s places worse than this; a lot worse.

“The worst thing, I think, is that it wants tidying up. The council’s slack. It wants cleaning and tidying up in general.”

Hannah, 38, a garden manager, is walking her baby down Victoria Road in a pushchair. She describes the town as “humble” and adds: “I love it here.

“Everyone’s really friendly, and it’s got everything you need.” On the area’s ranking, she adds: “That’s terrible. That’s sad.”

She then mentions local swimming facilities, and says she has “not had any trouble” as regards NHS waiting times. On local crime, she says that she can understand that it “might be a thing”, but she has “never experienced any issues” in Aldershot.

The Labour MP for Aldershot, Alex Baker, is determined to defend the district’s reputation. 

She says: “Rushmoor is my home and those of us who live here know better than anyone what a wonderful community this is. We have challenges to face, particularly after too many years of being taken for granted under the Conservative government, and that is why I stood for election, to make life better where I am raising my family. 

“Our towns have made an immense contribution to our national endeavour and as the home of the British Army and birthplace of aviation, we have a lot to shout about.”

Rushmoor Borough Council leader Cllr Gareth Williams agrees.

He says: “We didn’t recognise such a negative view of our towns. Both Aldershot and [neighbouring] Farnborough have many great things to celebrate, with strong global investment in Farnborough, the home of British aviation, and Aldershot benefiting from its legacy of military history and a massive sense of community.

“We are proud of the way in which people have welcomed new communities to our towns and of the contributions that they make.

“Like any busy, urban area we know that local public services, like the police, schools, roads, and health services can be under pressure.

“That’s why when we took over the administration of the council last year, we made a firm commitment to our residents to work with them to improve our towns and communities, and we are delivering that through the development of our strategic priorities that will bring about long-term change.”