As the new school year begins, families in York can take comfort in knowing they reside in the most family-friendly area in the region, according to new data.
Researchers at Yorkshire conveyancing firm, Thornton Jones Solicitors, assessed the factors they deemed necessary for a family to thrive within each UK local authority, city, and county. This revealed which areas were considered best to raise children.
The study combined 8 reputable data sources for each location, each which was given a score out of 100 based on how high or low it ranked against other areas. The average rating for each area was then found to provide an overall ranking.
The Yorkshire and the Humber region rankings, as well the average percentage score for each area, are:
- York, 59%
- East Riding of Yorkshire, 58%
- Kingston upon Hull, 58%
- North Lincolnshire, 58%
- North East Lincolnshire, 57%
- South Yorkshire, 56%
- Rotherham, 55%
- Kirklees, 55%
- Calderdale, 55%
- Barnsley, 55%
At the bottom end of the Yorkshire and the Humber scale were areas like Bradford, Sheffield, and West Yorkshire, each with a score of under 55. Of all the areas in the UK, York came 98th place.
The 7 factors that were considered for the study were:
- House prices
- Rental prices
- Educational qualifications
- Crime rates (2 sets of data)
- Employment rates
- Childcare costs
- Proportion of land dedicated to community/leisure buildings
With the cost-of-living crisis continuing on, lower house prices, rent prices, and childcare costs for under 4s were deemed important by the researchers as a key element in the rankings.
On top of this, a lower level of crime, as well as a higher level of educational attainment and employment, were also important factors to consider. The safer the area, and the better the career prospects, the more parents can safeguard their children’s futures.
As a bonus, ascertaining the local community spaces was worth considering to ensure parents can give their children the best chance at enriching their social lives through local activities.
York scored relatively highly across the board. With an average house price of £327,184, and an average rental price of £800, York is in around the top third of areas for house price, and the top half of areas for rental price.
56% of people in York have a qualification of Apprenticeship/A Level or equivalent and above, placing them among the top locations for educational attainment. What’s more, crime rates in the York area are relatively low compared to other regions in the UK. Meanwhile, employment rates in York amongst those who are not retired stand at 78%, over 20% higher than the lowest location on the list.
Childcare costs here average at just over £4.87 an hour, also placing York nearer the cheaper end of the list, compared to the highest price of almost £10 an hour. Finally, for the prevalence of community and leisure buildings in the area, York is somewhere in the middle of all the locations examined.
Sam Kelly, Partner and Head of Residential Conveyancing at Thornton Jones, said of the data, “With our firm being based in the Yorkshire area, we can attest to both the beauty and history of the area. As such, it’s really brilliant to see these places also being accredited for some more practical factors.
“Comparatively cheap housing and rent prices, lower childcare costs, high education and career prospects, and access to local social activities make York somewhere to seriously consider bringing up children.”
If you’re looking to move to York, or one of the other Yorkshire and the Humber areas in the top 10 rankings, be sure to get in touch with the team at Thornton Jones by heading to their contact page.