WARRINGTON has been named one of the North West’s top 10 places to grow old – but a new national ranking raises questions about what the town is doing well and where there is still room for improvement.
Warrington came 10th in the North West and 72nd nationally in the 2026 Twilight Years Capitals Index, scoring 65.4 out of 100.
The study assessed all 294 English local authority districts against 37 measures covering health, care, transport, housing and living costs, the environment, and community and safety.
So while Warrington has made the regional top 10, it was some distance behind the North West’s highest-scoring area, Westmorland and Furness, which recorded 76.6.
And the figures show that being a relatively good place to grow old does not necessarily mean Warrington is among the very best-performing areas nationally.
Warrington’s 72nd-place national ranking puts it in roughly the top quarter of English districts, but also means 71 other areas scored higher.
How does Warrington compare?
The town’s 65.4 score puts it just below Lancaster, which scored 66.0, and ahead of areas including Wigan, Cheshire West and Chester and several other major North West authorities.
But there is a significant gap between Warrington and the regional leader.
Westmorland and Furness scored more than 11 points higher than Warrington, while St Helens and Wirral both scored 71.3.
The results are particularly interesting because the index looks beyond traditional measures of retirement quality.
It considers whether older people can get around without a car, access to healthcare and community facilities, housing and living costs, environmental conditions, and community safety.
The ranking comes at a time when Warrington is facing major financial and service pressures within the borough’s public sector and a financial crisis at Warrington Borough Council and social services set to face budget cuts of around £30m and job losses.
The council is dealing with a significant financial challenge and has been looking at major savings and changes to services.
For older residents, issues such as access to local services, public transport, affordable housing, healthcare and community facilities can have a direct impact on quality of life.
The index does not, however, provide a simple verdict on individual council services – and its overall score should not be interpreted as a measure of the performance of Warrington Borough Council alone.
Instead, it provides a broader snapshot of the conditions affecting later life across the borough.
Other parts of the North West demonstrate what can be achieved across individual measures.
Ribble Valley, ranked fourth overall, recorded the region’s lowest recorded crime rate and lowest loneliness rate, while also having the longest life expectancy at 65.
Wirral was ranked first nationally for getting around without a car and had the region’s highest health score.
St Helens, meanwhile, shared second place in the North West and was ranked second nationally for getting around without a car.
Westmorland and Furness had the North West’s strongest community and safety score, with the study highlighting its number of community venues, libraries, post offices, bus stops and railway stations.
Warrington’s challenge
The figures therefore provide plenty for Warrington to be proud of – but also plenty of food for thought.
With an ageing population, ensuring that older people can remain independent, socially connected and able to access essential services is becoming increasingly important.
The question for Warrington is whether a 10th-place regional ranking is evidence that the town is getting the balance right – or whether there is an opportunity to move considerably higher up the table.
The study itself cannot answer that question.
But with Warrington ranked 72nd nationally, there are clearly dozens of other English districts which, according to the measures used by the index, are currently providing conditions which score higher for later life.
For a town which frequently promotes its quality of life, connectivity and community, the figures provide an interesting benchmark – and one which could be revisited in future years to see whether Warrington is moving up or down the table.
Warrington’s position
* North West ranking: 10th
* National ranking: 72nd out of 294
* Score: 65.4/100
* Number of districts assessed: 294
* Measures: 37
* Themes: Health, care, transport, housing and living costs, environment, community and safety
*Source: Twilight Years Capitals Index, 2026, based on 294 English local authority districts.
