Why Slough is the best place to work in the UK

The oft-ridiculed Berkshire town was the setting for 'The Office'

David Brent: he likes Slough more than John Betjeman (BBC)

Slough, the nondescript setting for sitcom The Office, has been named the best town to work in for a second consecutive year.

The Berkshire town took the top spot in a list of 25 towns and cities compiled by job search website Glassdoor.

The ease of acquiring a job, the cost of living in the area and overall job satisfaction were all taken into account when determining which UK towns and cities were the most ideal locations for workers.

According to the research, Slough came out on top due to the high number of jobs that were provided in the town and the decent average salaries of the workers, weighted against the average cost of living in the area.

In 2018, there were more than 22,000 job openings in Slough with an average salary of £29,500.

The average value of a home came to £391,218 and average job satisfaction in the area was ranked at 3.4 out of five.

Gloucester was ranked second, with Cambridge, Reading and Guildford making up the rest of the top five.

Manchester, which ranked second last year, dropped to seventh on the list, with major cities including London, Glasgow and Cardiff not making the top 25.

“Slough is now firmly established as one of the best areas in the UK to work, because of its consistently high employee satisfaction and job opportunities relative to its population. It is also home to a huge range of employers,” says Amanda Stansell, economic research analyst at Glassdoor.

“With plans now agreed for Heathrow’s third runway and the new Crossrail in 2019, its growth potential is very positive.

“While several of the towns and cities highlighted in this report may be surprising, many are experiencing growing local economies, complete with a healthy dose of new job prospects and strong home affordability.”

Slough, often lampooned for its supposed dreariness, was the subject of a disdainful 1937 poem by John Betjeman, which begins: “Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough! It isn’t fit for humans now.” The poem was recited in popular BBC sitcom The Office by David Brent, played by Ricky Gervais.

Two years ago a petition was launched to rename Slough in an effort to salvage its reputation.

“Slough is the biggest centre for business outside of London but I think there are preconceptions attached to the town,” Slough resident Hamzah Ahmed told the Slough Express.

“People seem to think that so much crime takes place in the borough but I feel in reality, it is not dangerous to live here."

Ahmed suggested renaming Slough as Upton, a suburb of the town.

The top 10 towns and cities to work in, according to the study:

1. Slough
2. Gloucester
3. Cambridge
4. Reading
5. Guildford
6. Stoke-on-Trent
7. Manchester
8. Derby
9. Bolton
10. Chelmsford

This is the third consecutive year that Glassdoor has compiled the list.