The past year, with its unusual restrictions, has had a fundamental impact on the way we look at property, with people increasingly giving less thought to commuting and looking instead for more space and, for families, a great environment to bring up children. And when it comes to family-friendly living, York is the place to be — at least according to new research commissioned by toy-pram retailer Play Like Mum.
Although these studies sometimes need to be taken with a pinch of salt — Play Like Mum itself admits that they had to limit themselves to looking at 40 cities and towns in England because of the shortage of comparable data elsewhere — the report does offer some useful insights and occasionally throws some shockers: who would have thought that London would come out worst for median speed of download at less than a fifth than that of top-performing Middlesbrough?
The report looks at 12 different factors that affect or improve family life, from safety and broadband to childcare costs, green spaces and the availability of outstanding schools.
York beat the competition pipping Cambridge to the post with an overall score of 65.46 out of a hundred, and coming first for safety and children’s attractions, as well as ranking highly in many other categories.
The university city, on the other hand, topped the charts for outdoor activities for children, although it was dragged down by higher costs of living—particularly housing, which averages £445,376 in Cambridge, against £276,971 in York.
Other top locations include Southend-on-Sea, which ranked third, Plymouth, fourth overall and first for affordable childcare costs, and Norwich, fifth overall and first for Nature parks, but slightly undone by the number of household with children — lowest in the rankings — which means that families might find it slightly harder to find a like-minded community.
At the opposite end of the scale, Kingston-Upon-Hull was ingloriously last, ranking worst for average pay and broadband costs, followed by London (unsurprisingly worst for childcare costs and house prices, as well as median download speed) and Coventry.
Some places, however, excelled in specific areas: in particular, Slough — 14th overall — should be on the radar of parents looking for a great education as it has the highest percentage of schools rated outstanding by Ofsted among all the locations surveyed (and that’s without including the rather well known public school in its vicinity).
Interestingly, the Berkshire town also comes out top for number of families with children and child-friendly restaurants (raising the distinct possibility that a large number of well-fed children makes for good pupils).
Conversely, if affordable property and cheap but fast broadband are a priority Middlesbrough is the place to go, although what you save in houses you might need to invest in tuition, as the city has the lowest percentage of outstanding schools (7%).
Here are the top ten family-friendly places to live in the UK by overall score:
1. York
Find properties for sale in the area
2. Cambridge
Find properties for sale in the area
3. Southend-on-Sea
Find properties for sale in the area
4. Plymouth
Find properties for sale in the area
5. Norwich
Find properties for sale in the area
6. Newcastle upon Tyne
Find properties for sale in the area
7. Bolton
Find properties for sale in the area
8. Ipswich
Find properties for sale in the area
9. Telford
Find properties for sale in the area
10. Brighton and Hove
Find properties for sale in the area
Revealed: The best places to live in Great Britain for work-life balance
The Outer Hebrides lead the chart of the local authorities that offer the best work and life balance, according to
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expectThe four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
-
Sign of the times: In the age of the selfie, what’s happening to the humble autograph?When Ringo Starr announced that he was no longer going to sign anything, he kickstarted a celebrity movement that coincided with the advent of the camera phone and selfie. Rob Crossan asks whether, in today’s world, the selfie holds more clout than an autograph?
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expect
The four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
-
About time: The fastest and slowest moving housing markets revealedNew research by Zoopla has shown where it's easy to sell and where it will take quite a while to find a buyer.
-
A wisteria clad hall built by one of the founders of the Bank of EnglandCome for the history of Old Hall. Stay for the interesting interiors.
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River TayCarnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producersStormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
