HISTORIC Wokingham has been named the best town place in England and Wales to have a family according to a report released yesterday.

The report, commissioned by OneFamily, looks at everything from Education, safety and childcare to the costs of local amenities, affordability of property and access to green spaces.

This is not the first time Wokingham has won the competition, which is based on the analysis of more than 70 different sets of criteria for each postcode. In 2012 it also topped out the competition but slipped to second last year.

Philip Mirfin, Town Mayor, Wokingham Town Council, said: “I am truly delighted that once again Wokingham has been named as the best place for families to live in the UK.

"We are very fortunate to enjoy excellent schools at every Key Stage, together with some beautiful open spaces and a safe town that has a genuine community spirit.

“We pride ourselves in the arts and culture we offer and this ranges from our May Cultural month through to family fun days, theatre in the park and large scale annual events such as the Food Festival, May Fayre and Winter Carnival.”

Wokingham scored well because of a very low crime rate, strong Key Stage 2 results and an average salary £6,000 higher than the national average.

Nearby Lower Earley came fifth in the rankings and was the only other Berkshire town to rank in the top 20.

Karl Elliott, spokesperson at OneFamily, said: “Life’s milestone moments are often exciting but they can also be stressful, and moving house is right up there with the most difficult.

“That’s why as one of the largest mutual insurers in the UK, which has been helping families for over 40 years, we have created an easy way to help them find the best place to live.

"This includes our report and the Family Hotspots calculator. Anyone visiting www.onefamily.com/hotspots/check-your-postcode can simply enter a postcode and see how different areas fare.

“It helps answer the key questions when you’re trying to find the right home, including, are we near the right school for our children? Is it safe? Do we have everything we want nearby?”

To see how your postcode stacks up visit the OneFamily calculator: http://www.onefamily.com/hotspots/check-your-postcode/