Preston named the best city to live and work in the North West

Preston has been named the best city to live and work in the North West in the Demos-PWC Good Growth for Cities Index.

Preston remains the highest performing city in the north-west, for the second time, and scored above average across a number of categories the public think are most important when it comes to economic wellbeing, including the availability of jobs, a positive work-life balance, the skills of the population and the variety of roles on offer.

Preston has also been recognised for its resilience to the continued COVID-19 pandemic with a lower proportion of employees in the city being furloughed as part of the UK Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CRJS) in comparison to other cities in the region.

Preston ranked 16th overall in the 2021 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.

Councillor Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council, said:

“I am delighted that Preston has maintained its position as the best city to live and work in the North West.

This report also shows that our city has pulled together to endure the pandemic and gives me great optimism that we will be in a strong position to recover and grow.

This success links closely to the significant improvement on our local economy we continuously strive for through the Preston Model and our Community Wealth Building Agenda. Underpinning our support for the economic and social well-being of all Prestonians by building a richer and more democratic economy in Preston. I am particularly pleased to see above average improvements in income inequality, jobs, environment, work life balance and housing affordability.’’

Our city has enjoyed a remarkable story of growth and innovation and I look forward to that continuing once we emerge from this pandemic.”