The UK's best cities to live and work in revealed
The study focused on factors such as education, green space, affordability, wages, and healthcare
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Your support makes all the difference.Good news for Scots - Edinburgh is officially the UK’s most attractive city, according to a new study.
In a study commissioned by the Royal Mail, the Scottish capital excelled in measures such as education, business, community, earnings, and job opportunities, as well as green space - which makes up 28 per cent of the city.
The historic city also happens to be start-up central - most likely because office space costs half of what it costs in London.
Of the honour, Edinburgh council leader, Adam McVey, said: “It is welcome news that Edinburgh is yet again receiving recognition as the UK’s top city to live and work in. The facts demonstrating the city’s attributes are plentiful and our own statistics in Edinburgh by Numbers show that Edinburgh is a vibrant capital city with a diverse economy, an increasing population with strong investment potential.”
But don’t fret if you’re south of the border - London is still one of the best cities to live and work in, coming a close second to Edinburgh overall.
And although London may have fewer trees than Edinburgh, it leads when it comes to earnings - with employees making an average £697 per week.
The city also has good access to education and strong levels of business activity, according to the study.
The bad news - those high weekly wages won’t get you too far when it comes to purchasing a flat as London boasts the highest costs in housing and office costs in the UK.
Bristol is third on the list and leads in job opportunities with an employment rate of 77.3 per cent. The city also excelled in healthcare - with the study finding 1.7 GPs per 1,000 people.
Other factors considered in the study included cultural services, such as libraries and theatres. In fourth place, Newcastle and Gateshead, which happen to rank ahead culturally - with 10.7 theatres and 68.6 libraries per million people.
Fifth on the list is Manchester, which happens to be quite green, with 32 per cent of the city made up of green space. The city also has a strong business community.
Glasgow, sixth on the list, is the greenest of the cities, coming first in that aspect.
Seventh, eighth, and ninth on the list are Leeds, Cardiff, and Sheffield respectively - all strong contenders.
Liverpool is the most economically significant of the cities when it comes to housing and affordability.
Belfast comes in at 11th - but second on the affordability measure.
And last but certainly not least is Birmingham in the West Midlands - the UK’s second most populous city.
Of the study, Royal Mail spokesman David Gold said: “This new research from Royal Mail shows there is hot competition among the UK’s leading cities to be the most attractive location for people to live and work in. Edinburgh has the edge on other economically significant UK cities. Bristol also performs well in categories including job opportunities, healthcare, business community and culture.”
Overall, it is a fierce competition for the best city in the UK - but this year, Edinburgh and its residents have come out on top.
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