Preston has been named as the most improved city in the UK

Preston has been named the most improved city in the UK to live and work.

The study, carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Demos, used a range of measures including employment, workers’ pay, house prices, transport, the environment, work-life-balance and inequality to rank 42 UK cities.

Preston has experienced a large reduction in its unemployment rate, down to 3.1% last year compared with 6.5% in 2014, while it has also seen improvements above the national average for health, transport, the work-life balance of its residents, and for the skills among both the youth and adult populations.

The new index sees Preston ranked 14th overall, with Oxford and Reading topping the list.

The news has been greeted well online, although many are bemused that Preston has seen above the national average improvement for transport.

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Jonathan House, an author of the report at PwC, said: “It’s definitely a combination of the public and local private sector, providing the context for this good growth to take place. Some of the policy and business decisions have led to this improvement.”

Preston ranked 14th in the best cities list, ahead of London in 15th, with the capital held back by high housing and transport costs and higher inequality. Oxford maintained its ranking from last year as the best place to live and work in Britain.

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