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West Oxfordshire hits
the best places to live
list… twice!
Two West Oxfordshire locations featured in
the Sunday Times best places to live in Britain.
Combe and Witney were both ranked within
the Best Places to Live guide which highlights
101 towns, villages and city suburbs that the
Sunday Times considered to be among the
best places to live for ‘real people’.
The newspaper took into consideration
statistics such as crime rates, house prices
and school performance, alongside local
bloggers and reader’s thoughts. They looked
at each of the locations and judged them on their merits including: Range of property for sale, school league
tables, easy access to shops and parking and the town’s overall sense of individuality.
Combe was considered a “slice of traditional England” and “a relatively unspoilt village with a romantic 12th
century church and immaculate green where cricket is played every summer.” The Sunday Times loved it as it
had heard that the local WI bakes exceedingly good cakes!
Witney was described as a prosperous market town with a twice-weekly market and good local pubs including
the Fleece which has been voted one of the top 20 pubs in Britain. The newspaper loved the “real Cotswold”
feel and recognised that “although the town has grown enormously in the past 50 years, it has retained its
charm and is enjoying something of a rebirth”.
Cllr Richard Langridge, Cabinet Member for Communities said “I am delighted that the local area has been so
highly praised by the Sunday Times. There are so many great places to live in West Oxfordshire and here at the
Council we work hard with local community groups to keep the district the very best we can. I myself love living
in Witney. It’s a vibrant town, with a great mixture of high street shops and independent stores and cafes. The
people are very friendly and to have been ranked in the top 101 best places to live is a great testament to the
residents in both communities.”
Skipton in North Yorkshire won overall for its “big-hearted, buzzy life in a small town”.
For more information or to champion your own best place you can join the debate at
/
bestplaces(opens in a new window) or Twitter at #bestplaces
countywide
