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Alice Fokuo is so friendly with her neighbour that they have exchanged keys to each other’s homes. The level of intimacy is such that “I call her mum, because she cooks for me”.

So the market trader was surprised to learn that her borough, Barking and Dagenham, ranked the least friendly in England in a new study drawing on government data from the community life survey. It measures how often people chat to neighbours, feelings of loneliness and belonging, local pride, and levels of participation in civic life in England’s 296 local authority areas.

“Everyone who passes says hello, children run to me and say ‘grandma’ and hug me. It’s amazing. I don’t know about other people, because everyone is different, but to me they’re nice,” she said. “I’m very happy. I belong here.”

However, she worried that the once-bustling market was losing its role as a community space as younger people make more purchases online. She values its sociable atmosphere: “Here people come, sometimes six or seven people will be standing, I won’t even have a seat to sit on. The customers are friendly to me, they bring me food.”

Many people in Barking’s town centre who spoke to the Guardian shared Fokuo’s fondness for their neighbours, but expressed concerns about living in London’s most indebted borough, Barking and Dagenham, and the lack of well-cared public spaces for socialising.

Adrian Stan, a 31-year-old cleaner, was relaxing after work on a bench designed to resemble a tree stump in Barking’s Arboretum Place. He appreciated that there was “a friendly spot” where he could mingle with friends and other local people for free, but bemoaned that there weren’t more seating options in the square, and the state of its upkeep.

“There is space for improvement,” he said, noting that the square would benefit from picnic tables, or activities aimed at younger people such as a skate park. He also wanted the council to do more to support rough sleepers in the borough, which has high rates of deprivation, poverty and homelessness.

But he added that he found that people in the borough, which is one of the UK’s most ethnically diverse, were “open to new people”. “They really listen to what you’re going through,” he said.

Rana Meybeci, 33, shared Stan’s concerns about the state of Barking’s public spaces. She has two young children, and worries about spending time in areas that are visibly dirty and strewn with litter. She also feels unsafe in Barking town centre, due to the level of antisocial behaviour, drug addiction and street drinking.

“Sometimes people are shouting, walking towards you,” she said. “People are so unkind, and with children, I feel always ‘come here baby, sit here.’ I always feel I should protect them.”

Although she does not feel proud of Barking town centre, she is happy living in nearby Barking Riverside, a newly developed residential neighbourhood created on an ex-industrial brownfield site. “We have a really good community here,” she said, adding that she was in regular contact with parents to chat and organise playdates.

George Mathew, 69, is also a longstanding resident of Barking Riverside. “I would say my area is very calm and quiet,” he said. “All the people are quite friendly and mingle, and we update each other online. We have some close friends near my house. If you want any help, they are ready to help out. It’s a good community.”

The development has faced criticism for its isolated geography and limited infrastructure, as well as a dearth of amenities, from cafes and restaurants to GP services. Mathew agrees: “The social and public spaces haven’t developed so much. At present, there are only a few shops. When you consider all the population there, there should be more.”