Region ranks high on list showcasing ‘most attractive places to live and work’

TWO YORKSHIRE cities have ranked among the top 10 most attractive places to live and work in the UK, according to a new study.

Leeds and Sheffield both featured ahead of Liverpool, Belfast and Birmingham on the list.

The study, commissioned by Royal Mail, assessed 12 cities on nine categories including access to education, green space and healthcare, cultural services and housing costs.

Edinburgh topped the list, coming ahead of London, although the capital scored higher on earnings, employment and business activity.

The Scottish city came first on access to education and performed well on job opportunities, business community, earnings and access to green space, which covers 28 per cent of the city.

Earnings in Edinburgh, at £578 on average per week, are second only to London and the city also has the second highest number of start-ups, while office space costs are about half that of London and the employment rate is strong at 70.8 per cent.

People in London have the highest earnings at £697 per week on average, while employment levels are strong at 73.7 per cent.

However, housing affordability and office costs are the highest in the UK.

Bristol, in third place, has an employment rate of 77.3 per cent and is the top-ranking UK city for job opportunities, while Newcastle-Gateshead was fourth and Manchester fifth overall.

North of the border, Glasgow was in sixth place.

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.”

Leeds was in seventh place on the list of most attractive cities, followed by Cardiff, Sheffield, Liverpool, Belfast and Birmingham.

Royal Mail worked with Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) on the research.