South East's best place to live announced for 2025

Here's some news to be proud of for communities in the South East - as we now know where the 'Best Place to Live' is in our region for 2025.

It's part of a list compiled by the Sunday Times newspaper - with Petersfield given the top spot in their prestigious annual guide.

It managed to outshine Farnham which also made the list.

The Sunday Times judges were most impressed with Petersfield’s family-friendly credentials: "It offers excellent schools, several of which are working together to support the Smartphone Free Childhood movement, plenty of sporty and artistic pursuits and a caring community that looks out for all ages.

"From am-dram to events at the excellent museum and art gallery and the busy weekly markets, there’s always something happening in Petersfield’s historic streets, set against the backdrop of the glorious South Downs countryside."

The Best Places to Live in the South East

The full list of southeast locations is as follows:

• Petersfield, Hampshire

• Amersham, Buckinghamshire

• Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire

• Broughton, Hampshire

• Farnham, Surrey

• Hove, East Sussex

• Marlow, Buckinghamshire

• Reading, Berkshire

• Sevenoaks, Kent

• Thame, Oxfordshire

Judges also sung the praises of Farnham: "Farnham is charming, it has excellent schools and it’s just an hour from London by train. Tucked into the Surrey Hills, bordered by woods, well-heeled Farnham has the buzzy, thriving feel of a town but the community of a village."

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says: “It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look much closer to home. From small gestures that lift the everyday - like verges blooming with daffodils to volunteer-run dementia cafés, to larger initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.”

The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.

The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the Scottish Island of Tiree and the remote Welsh village of Maenclochog to vibrant market towns, and suburbs of big, lively cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and London.