One place tops South West for growing old - not Cornwall or Cotswolds - United Kingdom News Beep

Every region has been ranked on factors including healthcare, environment, crime and community

Neil Shaw Assistant Editor

12:29, 17 Sep 2026

Light and shadows over Western Dartmoor just before sunset

One part of the South West has been named the best for growing old, finishing 31st of the 294 districts ranked across England. A s tudy by care home operator Lovett Care scored 37 separate measures including health, care, getting around without a car, housing and living costs, the local environment, and community and safety.

West Devon scores 71.4 out of 100 and has the best health score and the best community and safety score in the South West. It records the region’s lowest rate of hospital admissions for falls among over-65s, and the second-lowest rate of hip fracture admissions nationally, the two measures of serious injury the index uses.

91.6% of GP appointments in West Devon are seen the same or the next day. For a rural district it is also well served for anyone without a car, with the region’s second-best provision of post offices and railway stations, and its third-cleanest air.

Bedford Square and the Parish Church of St Eustachius in Tavistock

South Gloucestershire is second in the region and 34th in England. It has the best care quality in the South West, according to the Care Quality Commission, and the region’s highest rate of NHS dentist access. Only 7.35% of households are in fuel poverty, unable to afford to keep warm, the lowest rate in the South West, and it has the region’s lowest share of homes built before 1930, which are typically harder and more expensive to heat.

Stroud takes third in the region and 42nd in England, with 69.7 out of 100, and has the third-best environment score in the South West. Just 3.85% of adults in Stroud report feeling lonely often or always and only 9.12% of over-60s live on a low income, both the lowest rates in the region. The number of pharmacies in the district has risen by 6.25% over four years, the largest increase in the South West.

Plymouth is fourth in the region and 60th in England, with 67.1 out of 100, and has the best score for getting around without a car in the South West. It records the lowest rate of hip fracture admissions among over-65s of any district in England and the third-lowest rate of falls admissions, and has the region’s most affordable house prices relative to local earnings.

Sheepstor above Burrator on Dartmoor

The Cotswolds complete the region’s top five, 73rd in England, with the best environment score in the South West and the second-best for community and safety, which come from having the region’s lowest recorded crime rate and its most libraries, allotments and public greenspace for the size of its population.

Torridge finishes 26th in the region and 271st in England. Cornwall, 24th in the region, has the region’s lowest score on housing and living costs. Sixteen of the region’s 26 districts finish in the top half of the national table and three make the top 50.

Exeter has the best care score in the South West, 17th in England on that theme, and Tewkesbury the region’s best score on housing and living costs.

Cathryn Fairhurst, Managing Director Operations at Lovett Care, said: “For so many of us, choosing where to live is impacted by factors such as work opportunities, or the quality of education. But as people get closer to retirement age, they can start to focus more on what they want from where they live, whether that is access to nature, a thriving social scene, or good community services.

“This study was designed to discover which areas offer the best combination of a wide variety of factors that are important to older generations, and it’s a reminder that there are plenty of places across England that are well placed for spending our later years.”

One place tops South West for growing old – not Cornwall or Cotswolds

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