Job site Glassdoor has ranked Slough as the best town to work and live in. Results are based on the cost of living, job satisfaction and how easy it is to get a job.
Slough has a high average salary and is close to major transport links, such as Heathrow Airport the M25 and M4. Average house prices are £390,000, and with an average salary of £35,000 and over 26,000 jobs available, Slough is considered a ‘prime spot’.
The housing market is likely to grow because of the Crossrail due to open in 2019. The town centre is also benefiting from £1bn Heart of Slough regeneration scheme. It may not be the cheapest place to live, but Slough is cheaper than London.
The town is also the setting for the sitcom The office and is home to Mars and O2’s Head Office and three Ofsted-rated outstanding grammar schools.
In second place came Manchester thanks to its low average house price of £177,263, an average salary of £23,998 and 41,555 job vacancies. Compared to the 2016 list, Manchester has climbed nine places to secure this spot.
Also claiming a spot in the top five was Cambridge, Swindon and Stoke-on-Trent.
London didn’t make the shortlist this year. As Glassdoor chief economist, Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, explains: “Although people in London are generally satisfied, it has proven not only to be an expensive place to live, but also an ultra-competitive city in which to find a job.”
The UK’s top 25 best towns and cities to work in
1. Slough
2. Manchester
3. Cambridge
4. Swindon
5. Stoke-on-Trent
6. Reading
7. Leeds
8. Milton Keynes
9. Bolton
10. Oxford
11. Coventry
12. Derby
13. Nottingham
14. Birmingham
15. Ipswich
16. Belfast
17. Southampton
18. Aberdeen
19. Luton
20. Dundee
21. Newcastle Upon Tyne
22. Bristol
23. Blackpool
24. Hull
25. Peterborough