I live in UK’s ‘most miserable’ city – greedy council only cares about cash while squeezed-out shops get boarded up
WITH its magnificent castle, cobbled streets and friendly residents, Colchester looks like a perfect destination to while away a weekend over Christmas.
But this week, despite its proud history and affluent population, the city earned the unfortunate title of the most miserable place in Britain.
Colchester, in Essex, which was once the capital of Britain in Roman times, ranked bottom of the Office for National Statistics’s happiness league.
And The Sun found during a visit that many residents agree the place known as Britain’s first city has become second rate.
Pensioners Mike and Pat Osborn have lived in Colchester all their lives and say they are shocked by how much its fortunes have plummeted in the last 20 years.
Retired accountant Mike, 78, said: “It’s become the City of Nothing. Everything has closed down. All the independent stores have packed up and left so you have to shop on the internet now.
“I don’t mind doing some of my shopping online but there are certain things, like bread from the bakery, that you want to buy locally.
“Most of the shops here are big commercial chains that I don’t like. And in the last 20 years we’ve seen the commercialisation of the high street, which is really sad.”
His wife, retired insurance worker Pat, 74, added: “There’s not a single flower shop in Colchester town centre now so you have to buy your bouquets online.
“We don’t have a butcher or a greengrocer or many of the other things you would expect in a thriving town centre.
“Our children, who are grown up now, do all their shopping in Chelmsford, Cambridge or Norwich – anywhere but here.
“The survey is right, it’s the most miserable place in Britain. It was full of life 20 years ago, but there’s nothing for young people here now.”
Serving the couple food for their evening meal, fishmonger Stuart Parker lays the blame for the change at the door of the city’s council.
Stuart, 32, who runs the Mersea Fish Stall in the town centre, said: “I’ve been working here for seven years and business was good when I first arrived.
“But they’ve changed the parking system so shoppers have to choose how many hours they want to park for, rather than just paying at the end.
“This means they don’t want to queue, as they are always rushing back before their ticket expires.
“It’s a small change but it’s made a big difference and – in my view – the council is only interested in making money at the expense of business owners.
“We sell fish from this truck because business rates are so high that if we rented a store we wouldn’t be able to turn a profit.
“That’s why you don’t see any independent stores here – it’s too expensive to operate. I don’t think the council is investing enough in the town centre and that’s why it’s gone downhill.”
Historic streets
Colchester achieved city status in May and is the home of the University of Essex.
Young students rub shoulders with older Brits who make up the majority of the 122,000 population.
The high street, which lies just off the River Colne, was filled with shoppers when the Sun visited this week.
And the cobbled centre is dotted with ruins that have stood proudly since this became the first capital of Roman Britain and an important military town, currently the home of the 16th Air Assault Brigade.
So it is a surprise that Colchester came bottom of the nationwide ‘happiness’ survey on personal wellbeing carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Each year the survey asks respondents to rate their sense of life satisfaction out of 10, and residents of Colchester reported an average happiness score of just 6.8.
This was some way below the UK’s average happiness rating of 7.45.
And while most places reported an uptick in general wellbeing following the end of the Coronavirus pandemic, Colchester was one of the few local authorities to see a reported decline.
‘I joke they should knock it down’
Hotel owner James Moreno is one of those that admits getting in a grump from time to time.
His Colchester Boutique Hotel is rated number one on Tripadvisor, but he has seen a decline since he moved here 24 years ago.
James, 53, said: “At £5 a pint, most people can’t even afford to go out anymore and Colchester is a bit of an ugly duckling, isn’t it?
“Like every town, it’s become over commercialised. There are plenty of barbershops and eateries, but not much else.
“I sometimes joke that they should knock the whole place down and start again.
“But seriously, there are beautiful parts like Castle Park and I’m shocked to discover that most of my guests don’t even know we have a castle here.
“The council needs to spend a bit of money promoting Colchester as a tourist attraction.
“But they seem more interested in putting CCTV cameras in bus lanes so they can issue fines.
“Those cameras have become a cash cow for the council and a lot of people complain about things like that.”
‘It’s a great place to live’
Norman and Carol Filmer said they were shocked to hear Colchester had been named as the most miserable place in Britain, however.
The couple were looking through the window of one of the few independent stores – a posh deli – our reporter did find during his visit.
Retired engineer Norman, 83, said: “We moved here from Romford last year and we are really happy.
“The people we have met are not miserable at all – quite the opposite.
“Everyone seems really nice and polite. They give way on the roads and dip their headlights when you pass at night. It’s quite a contrast to living in Romford.
“People do complain quite a lot about the Marks and Spencer being relocated out of town but we’ve been to the new M&S and it’s lovely – and the same thing is happening in a lot of places in Britain.”
Pensioner Carol, 65, added: “I read that report about Colchester being the most miserable place in Britain and I was shocked. It’s a load of nonsense. Our son has lived here for years and he loves the place.
“It’s nice and quiet and he’s able to commute to his job in the City of London on the train. This is a great place to live.”
Listening to her daughter singing carols in the town centre, NHS worker Sue Coppin also wanted to stick up for Colchester.
Mum-of-two Sue, 53, said: “I live in Clacton in Essex now – and if you want to see the most miserable place in Britain you should go there. It’s a real dive.
“I only moved out because the house prices were cheaper. Colchester town centre has deteriorated a little bit but then all town centres in Britain have.
“They’ve shut down some of the popular stores like British Home Stores and Debenhams and I do worry there is not enough for elderly people to do here now.
“But those stores went out of business, it’s not Colchester’s fault.
“The town centre still has plenty of shops and there is still a lot of life.
“The carol singers come here every Christmas, which is nice. I grew up in Colchester and I still love coming here.”
In a statement to The Sun, Colchester City Council said it acknowledged that “retailers nationwide are facing unprecedented pressures” and that “town centres are having to compete harder than ever before”.
It added that business rates were set independently by the Government and that bus lanes were operated and enforced by Essex County Council.
Colchester City Council said it “actively promotes” the city through its Visit Colchester, while a set of projects will further invest in local areas.
It said: “In August 2022, We are Colchester confirmed that its bid to deliver an ambitious set of projects as part of the Town Deal Fund had been fully supported and that Colchester would receive the full £18.2m from the Government’s Town Fund to invest in projects that will directly benefit residents across the city.
“Another £1m in Town Deal funding for ‘accelerated’ schemes at Balkerne Gate and St Nicholas Square was awarded in September 2020.”
It added: “There can be few car parks in the country that don’t require motorists to give thought to how long they wish their parking stay to be.
“Having said that, the council was at the vanguard of digital permits and cashless parking, when it co-developed and launched the award-winning MiPermit app, which takes the hassle out of paying for and extending parking stays in council-run car parks.”