Oxford, Swindon, Exeter, Bristol and Southampton were named the best places to live and work in the UK based on a survey of economic wellbeing by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
(Bloomberg) — Oxford, Swindon, Exeter, Bristol and Southampton were named the best places to live and work in the UK based on a survey of economic wellbeing by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
The consultant’s Good Growth for Cities Index ranked London, Bradford, Middlesbrough and Stockton, Birmingham and Manchester near the bottom.
The report looked at 12 measures including jobs, health, income, safety and skills, along with work-life balance, housing, travel-to-work times, income equality, the quality of high street shops, the environment and business startups. Oxford jumped 43 places in the ranking since 2021.
The figures suggest a huge gap remains between prosperous cities in southern England and the less well off further north, an indication that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government is making only slow progress to spread wealth.
“Unfortunately huge disparity remains across the UK, and we are not seeing enough consistent change,” Karen Finlayson, regional lead for government and health industries at PwC, said in the report on Tuesday.
PwC said smaller cities are benefiting from post-pandemic trends toward flexible working and a priority on work-life balance.
Bradford was hard hit by the pandemic, but the report said it has since shown signs of improvement rooted in a “long-term strategic vision” for economic growth. Its growth, according to PwC, is likely to outpace Oxford, which is a repository of skilled workers linked to the university.
The report is also optimistic about the growth potential of poor performers including London, Liverpool and Belfast, which may benefit from expansion in the transportation and storage industries as well as arts and entertainment.
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