Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) has been named as one of the top ten best places to live in a brand new Hybrid Working Index, created by Uswitch.com
Average broadband speeds of 77Mbps, large areas of green space and close proximity to Bristol have set B&NES apart as one of the top places to live and work, featuring at ninth position in the index.
| Rank | Location | Average broadband speed (Mbps) | Nearest Major Hub |
Distance from Major Hub (miles)
|
| 1 | York | 159 | Leeds | 22 |
| 2 | Edinburgh | 115 | Edinburgh | 0 |
| 3 | Belfast | 115 | Belfast | 0 |
| 4 | Redditch | 109 | Birmingham | 12 |
| 5 | Harrogate | 82 | Leeds | 13 |
| 6 | Bristol | 114 | Bristol | 0 |
| 7 | Darlington | 106 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 31 |
| 8 | St. Helens | 116 | Liverpool | 10 |
| 9 | Bath and North East Somerset | 77 | Bristol | 12 |
| 10 | Exeter | 106 | Bristol | 78 |
The UK’s biggest cities rank further down, with London 23rd, Birmingham 30th, and Manchester coming 82nd.
Prior to the pandemic, only one in ten people divided their week between home and work, but this has now doubled, and workers expect this to rise further over the next six months. The proportion of people solely working from their workplace has fallen from 76 per cent to 56 per cent.
In addition, according to USwitch, 27 per cent say they would like to move house to take advantage of hybrid working. When choosing a new place to live, half of people (53 per cent) say house prices are most important, followed by green spaces (45 per cent), crime rates (43 per cent), broadband speeds (34 per cent), air quality (28 per cent), local GP numbers (20 per cent) and the quality of local schools (16 per cent).
For hybrid workers, broadband connectivity is a key ingredient to ensure they can perform their day job at home. More than two thirds of people (68 per cent) rated it as the most important factor when working remotely, while just over a quarter (26 per cent) say a more reliable broadband connection would encourage them to increase the time they spent working from home.
Ernest Doku, Broadband Expert at Uswitch.com, said, “The last few years have turned our working lives on their head, and many of us have enjoyed the benefits of leaving the commute behind and spending more time at home.
“It’s been an opportunity for many to escape the rat race, move away from the big cities and enjoy life in a more rural setting.
“Our Hybrid Working Index reveals some of the country’s best places to live if you’re alternating between working from home and the office.
“While some areas like B&NES did score highly enough to make the top 10, London had a patchy performance; despite being home to big businesses and the country’s most expensive properties it was let down by a lack of green space and surprisingly modest average broadband speeds.
“If you’re moving to a new area to work remotely, the speed and reliability of your broadband connection will be one of the most important things about your new location.”
Pictured above: Celebrating Bath’s great mix of city and countryside. Image courtesy of Countryside Communities Fund. Read how they’re supporting local not-for-profits here.
