The Flexible Working index* have released a new report revealing the best cities and towns for flexible working with Stoke-on-Trent coming out in second place. The report found that Bradford is the best city overall for flexible work. This comes after the Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss, called for employers to ‘normalise’ flexible working.
As people want to be able to work from where they work best, the study looked at:
- % of jobs within 25-miles open to remote work
- The cost of living (£)
- Life satisfaction score
- Amount of green space within 1,000m radius
- Average rental cost of a two-bed flat
- Number of 5G networks
Analysts created a weighted score for all points, which then gave each city an average score on its benefits for flexible working. Two-bed flats were considered as RightMove revealed that there has been an increase in interest for two-bed flats, with people needing extra space for an office.
All cities in the top five are in the midlands and in the North of England, and rent for a two-bedroom flat is less than £700.
Stoke-on-Trent is in the top 10 fastest growing economies in the country outside of London. Manufacturing growth is at 15 per cent since 2009, higher than the national average. And there is good news for business start-ups: more new businesses perform well in their first year in Stoke-on-Trent than national and regional averages. Find out more