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Phil and Kirstie's best and worst didn't choose Southwark (they did it by London Borough) but the chat boards are flooded with references to 'leafy' East Dulwich.


I did love the worst list - video shots of run down estates, burnt out cars, overweight smokers...juxtaposed against (mostly) Surrey's pristine villages as the best.


http://www.channel4bestandworst.com/borough.php?id=351

I thought it was great, though the two do not translate into live television well. What's not to like? It had sound research and got people talking.


And we're heading for the Lounge, so I'll just add East Dulwich still keeping Southwark's stars strong on the ratings.

Here's their full assessment of 'Southwark'. 'Highest caseload' of any borough for benefits. Ha!


Situated on the Southbank, Southwark claims the highest levels of cultural diversity in the country. The borough is made up of five very distinct London villages: urban and creative Bermondsey, historic Rotherhithe, relaxed and green Dulwich, cultural and contemporary Bankside & Borough and Peckham & Camberwell. Home to the Tate Modern and Shakespeare?s Globe Theatre, the borough boasts a wide variety of cultural activities and helps to make it the capital?s fastest growing tourist area.


However, it?s not all good news, because as the eighth most deprived UK local authority with 15 of the twenty-one wards within the bottom 10% on the government?s poverty index, Southwark has the highest benefits caseload of any London Borough. Still, the area has seen the strongest growth rate in the last ten years, which owes much to its regeneration. Average house prices have increased by a massive 16.9% over the year to ?337,423, which is well above the national average.

I file television shows about property prices/development/climbing the ladder etc under ?Evils that should be stricken from this world? along with things like racism and child abuse. So when this came on last night and Mrs B wanted to watch it I retreated upstairs with a glass of whisky and a comic book and pretended it wasn?t happening.

Well, if I lived in "The Grove" I might be tempted to claim ED residency as well, but I'm somewhat further away to the North. I do actually like living in Camberwell despite its many shortcomings.


I work in SE1, and as I said earlier today on the SE1 forum, I was depressed by the inability of the Best & Worst website to come up with an adjective for Peckham and Camberwell! As in "five very distinct London villages: urban and creative Bermondsey, historic Rotherhithe, relaxed and green Dulwich, cultural and contemporary Bankside & Borough and Peckham & Camberwell."

Downsouth - I did wonder whether somebody might!


I have to say, though, I wondered whether Southwark might come into the bottom 20, but I'm glad it didn't. It's got some great areas, ED included, and even the dodgy areas have relatively good amenities within walking distance and are easy to get into Central London from. Some of the London boroughs which made it into the bottom 20 are much worse - Barking and Dagenham wasn't even that high up the list, and it's a godforsaken wasteland.


I know I live in a pretty dodgy bit of Southwark, but I did choose to move there (I can't afford ED unless I reverted to house-sharing). I've had my eye on Peckham and Camberwell for some years as somewhere cheap, convenient and lively. On the other hand, there were many places in the bottom 20 which I really wouldn't touch with a barge pole. There are so many places with all the disadvantages of Peckham and Camberwell and none of the benefits*.


*(no benefits jokes please!)

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