Taking a Dive

We remain the best place to live in Wales. That accolade will cease in about one month’s time. For 2024/25, the Sunday Times will have moved on to somewhere new. Have we capitalised on our status? The short answer is ‘probably not'. 

Each is ranked out of 1,429

There’s another set of statistics that demonstrate our position. An estate agency called Garrington’s has ranked cities and towns across Wales and England. Not all towns. Just 1,429. Garrington’s say two main things about their scoring:

• Though there are those which are higher than others, the mere inclusion in their list points to some sort of success. 

• Their scoring is said to be totally objective, based on available quantative data. There’s said to be no subjectivity.

This, then, differs from the Sunday Times’ assessment. Data are important to that newspaper but they overlay the emotional, the non-objective, the idiosyncratic. So, in March 2023, Rhuthun/Ruthin scored well on data *and* because of community engagement and feel, from the town council’s Masterplan to the market hall and Barclay’s Bank’s Resource.

How do the two rankings compare?

Garrington’s is a more pessimistic assessment. Rhuthun is 1,302nd out of 1,429. So, scraping the bottom of the barrel, then. Ahead of us is Yr Wyddgrug/Mold and Wrecsam. Also Bwcle/Buckley, Conwy, Llandudno, Treffynnon/Holywell, Shotton, Connah’s Quay and Bae Colwyn Bay. And just look at Dinbych’s score at 429th overall. 

Rhuthun’s best score is for its house price quality & value (705th out of 1,429). Even here, our prices over the previous 12 months have slipped by –2.2 per cent (according to Garrington’s). Everywhere other than Dinbych sees house prices inflating. And that includes Wrecsam, Treffynnon, Bwcle and Deeside. 

And surely the most inconsistent score is for our natural environment. How come others score so strongly compared to us? Bwcle is 42nd (lots of green open land) and Wrexham 108th! Garrington’s data do not accord with the Wales index of multiple deprivations which places Rhuthun towards the top of the table: here at least, Rhuthun is prosperous when compared to Wales, North Wales and Denbighshire. One reason for this was... our natural environment.

But that was back in 2019. It seems like much else the world has changed.