In a groundbreaking study that confirms what locals could have told you for free, the Isles of Scilly have been officially crowned the friendliest place in England. The ranking, which covers all 296 local authority areas, is based on government data from the community life survey, measuring everything from neighbourly chit-chat to feelings of loneliness, belonging, local pride, and civic participation.

Scilly took the top spot, followed closely by South Hams in south Devon, West Devon, Derbyshire Dales, and Richmond upon Thames. At the other end of the spectrum, Barking and Dagenham was named the least friendly area in England, with Stoke-on-Trent, Ashfield, Mansfield, and Ipswich rounding out the bottom five.

The index is part of the National Conversation, an engagement project that has already gathered thousands of Britons' views on what unites and divides us. The findings will feed into a report later this year by the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, which was set up to tackle what it calls 'the converging crises of social disconnection and division' in the UK.

The commission, co-chaired by former Tory home secretary Sajid Javid and former Labour policy coordinator Jon Cruddas, is on a mission to understand the state of connection and cohesion in the country and create a shared vision for living well together. Its first report, published last year, ominously declared that 'communal life in Britain is under threat' due to declining community infrastructure, weaker family units, growing inequality, dwindling trust in institutions, and chronic neglect from policymakers.

It also pointed to current threats like mismanaged immigration, cost of living pressures, and social media-driven extremism as factors turning disconnection into something more dangerous. The result, the commission warns, is that the UK is 'sitting on a tinderbox of disconnection and division'.

Cruddas, who used to represent Dagenham in Parliament, admitted: 'This index is designed to get us talking. And I nearly choked on my cornflakes when my old area came rock bottom. I think government stats miss a lot of what really makes an area tick, including my old town. But that's why we have developed it, to spark a conversation - because what we really want is your view on your area.'

The National Conversation survey is open until the end of August, so if you feel your neighbourhood is friendlier than the data suggests, now's your chance to say so - just don't expect a cuppa from Barking.