Shropshire fails to make quality of life top 50

The Hampshire district of Hart has been named as the UK's most desirable location to live, but nowhere in Shropshire made the top 50.

Shropshire has been snubbed in the 2011 Quality of Life Survey by Halifax, which lists the places with the highest quality of life.

The list is dominated by towns and villages in the south and east of England. The district of Hart, which includes the towns of Fleet and Yardley, has taken top spot off Elmbridge in Surrey.

The only place in the West Midlands to figure is the district of Wychavon in east Worcestershire which comes in at number six.

The district of Hart boasts more than 1,000 buildings listed as being of architectural or historical significance.

Wokingham, East Cambridgeshire, Brentwood, St Albans, Maidstone, south Cambridgeshire and Epsom and Ewell all made the top 10.

The news that Shropshire has not figured in the ratings has been greeted with shock by civic leaders and tourism bosses around the county.

They have insisted that towns such as Shrewsbury and Ludlow are extremely good places to live and continue to attract new residents every year.

Rankings are based on aspects such as jobs, the housing market, education, health and crime, as well as factors like the weather, traffic flows and broadband access.

Councillor Peter Nutting, leader of Shrewsbury Town Council, said: "I am surprised Shrewsbury doesn't figure,

"The standard of living and quality life here is excellent and the town has everything people could want.

"We are a forgotten county but sometimes that is a good thing as it means we can keep all the benefits of living here for ourselves.

"I think people in the south-east of England think they are the only place that matters, but we know differently," added the councillor.

John Aitken, Mayor of Ludlow, said: "I am amazed. There has been immense interest in Ludlow ever since the town featured on Town with Nicholas Crane on BBC2 in October.

"People really enjoy their visits to the town and they look on our residents with a real degree of envy when they look at our town."

Graham Hickman, a photographer and historian who has lived in historic Ironbridge for more than 60 years, said: "I think sometimes it is best to keep places we love to ourselves."

By Peter Kitchen