Survey ranks Leeds the best city to live and work in the north of England

Leeds has been named the best city to live and work in the north of England.
Leeds has ranked 12th overall in the latest Demos-PWC Good Growth for Cities IndexLeeds has ranked 12th overall in the latest Demos-PWC Good Growth for Cities Index
Leeds has ranked 12th overall in the latest Demos-PWC Good Growth for Cities Index

The city ranked 12th overall in the latest Demos-PWC Good Growth for Cities Index, which measures the performance of 42 UK cities against 10 categories including jobs, income, work-life balance, transport, skills, environment and the house price to earnings ratio.

With an average score of 0.6 across all categories, Leeds performed better than all other cities in the North, including Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.

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Leeds scored above average across several categories the public think are most important when it comes to economic wellbeing, including jobs, health, new businesses and skills between 2017 and 2020.

The Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index has been published annually since 2012 to measure the performance of cities and regions.

This year’s report focused on the economic impact of Covid-19 and recovery prospects for the UK’s largest towns and cities in 2021.

As the pandemic has forced many people to work from home, the survey showed encouraging results for jobs in Leeds - the city scored well above average in the overall jobs category and work-life balance.

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Leeds was the only city out of nine in Yorkshire and the North East which achieved a score above the UK average in the Good Growth Index.

Doncaster was the lowest-performing city of all 42 measured.

As a whole, cities in Yorkshire and the North East perform well on house price to earnings, where all nine cities score above the national average, as well as transport and income distribution.

However the region performed poorly in several other variables, including owner occupation where Leeds had a score well below average.

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The report showed the average annual economic impact on cities in Yorkshire and the North East was down 11.8 per cent in 2020.

It comes as a major £85m major office development in Leeds has been given the go-ahead and Leeds City Council said the "forward thinking scheme" would show how the city is ready to bounce back from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

City Square House will stand on the Wellington Street side of City Square, near Leeds City Station and the recently-revamped Majestic building.

Coun Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds City Council, said on Wednesday: "City Square is already at the heart of life in Leeds and we are determined to improve it still further, creating a world-class space that is a source of pride for all our residents.

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“The new development will help us achieve that aim and I look forward to seeing it take shape alongside the many other transformative projects planned for the city centre.

The new building will sit alongside The Majestic which has recently been completed.

“It also offers a timely reminder that Leeds is very much open for business, despite the huge challenges posed by COVID-19. Schemes like City Square House will form part of a Leeds-wide effort to ensure our economy recovers from the pandemic in a way that leaves no one behind.”

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