Windsor and Maidenhead named 'happiest area in England'

Windsor and Maidenhead has been ranked 'the happiest area in England', according to new research by care experts. 

Guardian Carers analysed more than 300 local authority areas in the country based on factors that contribute to 'all-round happiness'.

This included access to green space, income, unemployment and crime rates.

These factors were added up to provide a score of the happiness of residents, with Windsor and Maidenhead ranked the happiest area in England with the best combined score of the eight factors (70.63).

The largest contributing factors to this are an unemployment rate of 3.6 per cent, while the borough is also said to be home to  the highest average combined size of green space.

Salisbury, in Wiltshire, finished second, while nearby Wokingham ended up ninth on the list.

Meanwhile, the 'unhappiest' place in the country was named in the research as Boston, in Lincolnshire, which received a score of 40.53.

A spokeswoman for Guardian Carers said: "Happiness provides not only that joyous feeling but also has major health benefits such as increasing your life expectancy and allows you to form deeper connections and continue strong relationships.

"Moving out of the coronavirus pandemic and looking towards the future, people are prioritising their happiness more than they were before.

"There are so many factors that contribute to our happiness, and it is great to see the areas highlighted by this analysis that provide a well-balanced happiness for their residents.”