'We like living here!' Wolverhampton residents hit back at survey slating city
Wolverhampton might just have been listed as one of the country's worst places to live in - but residents and shoppers didn't get the memo.
The city has been included in a list of the worst places to live in the UK by website iLiveHere after a survey of more than 100,000 people.
Common complaints about the city were litter strewn across streets and drug addicts wandering around the town centre, often fighting with one another.
Another target for complaints were “drunk teenagers” causing havoc and the railway station constantly flanked by smokers.
But it is not a view shared by many of the city’s residents, some of whom hit back at the claims today.
Many spoke of their vibrancy of their neighbourhoods and how safe they feel in their home city, however, some were quick to point to anti-social behaviour and addiction issues.
Clifford Miller, 58, from Oxley, defended Wolverhampton.
He said: "I like Wolverhampton, always have, always will. You can keep your London town, I like the pace of life up here in Wolverhampton. London is like a toilet bowl compared to Wolverhampton. The thing is with the city, there might not be the opportunities but if you are entrepreneurial you can succeed.
"I have lived in a lot of places and can say now that I appreciate Wolverhampton for what it is, it is home. I know plenty of people who have left only to come back defeated and feeling vulnerable, and it does not take long for it to make a difference."
Jason Latchford, 47, from Pendeford, said: "You only have one home, and Wolverhampton is mine. I like the place, I have always felt safe, always liked the people. Wolverhampton is easy to criticise but I am proud to be from the city."
Andy Palmer, 51, from Oxley, said: "Wolverhampton is all I've known so I can't compare it to other places but I like living here, it's my home, I like lots of people from here and there is a lot of things to do. A few things could be better in Wolverhampton but it is no way one of the worst places to live in the country."
Helder Silva, aged 39 and from London, has only recently sampled the delights of Wolverhampton.
He said: "I've only been a few days and the place seems nice enough. People have made me laugh, there are plenty of shops, it certainly is not scary or unsafe."
Nick Roberts, aged 37, from Bushbury, said: "Wolverhampton is getting better, I remember when it was the worst place in England to live but they have pulled all the horrible tower blocks down and replaced them with nice places.
"Look how the town centre has been rebuilt, there is nothing rubbish about that, the place will look brilliant when it is finished."
However, Demi Daykin, from Heathtown, 28, is unimpressed with Wolverhampton.
She said: "You see loads of drug addicts walking around the town centre, and there is lots of crime so if people are saying it is a bad place to live then I think they are right. It certainly does not feel as safe as it used to feel."
A council spokesperson said: "Wolverhampton is a brilliant city that thousands of Wulfrunians are proud to call home and the claims made in the nonsense survey do not dignify a response."
