Plymouth named best city for families to live

Plymouth has been named the best city in England and Wales for families to live.

According to the 2014 Family Hotspots report by family finance specialist Family Investments, Plymouth has come out tops.

The report, first launched in 2012, analyses postcode data across 71 different data sets, from education, safety and childcare to local amenities, affordable property and green spaces, to reveal the top locations for families to live.

Councillor Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “Being named as the best city in England and Wales for families to live is fantastic news for Plymouth. Those of us who live and work in the beautiful coastal city of Plymouth already know what a great place it is, but reports like this are useful, both to compare ourselves with other areas and to remind the rest of the country of Plymouth’s attributes.

“The fact we have moved up from fourth place last year to first place this year demonstrates that Plymouth is definitely on the up.

“There’s so much to celebrate in Plymouth, we’ve recently hosted world class events on the Hoe such as MTV Crashes, we’ve been awarded £12m funding for the new History Centre, we have excellent leisure facilities such as the Life Centre and tourist attractions such as the National Marine Aquarium, some fantastic parks and green spaces, a great shopping centre, and superb employment and education opportunities. There is so much to do and see here, Britain’s Ocean City really is the ideal place for families to live.”

Some of the areas Plymouth outshone other cities in the report include a lower crime per capita score, excellent exam results at Key Stage 4 level, as well as the beautiful scenery and good local amenities.

Steve Ferrari, Head of Customer Insights at Family Investments, said: “The coastal city of Plymouth scored exceptionally well this year and is very deserving of its title as the best city for families to live. Famous for its maritime history, the schools achieve excellent results and the low crime rate makes it a great place for families.

“Deciding where to live is one of the most important financial and lifestyle choices families will make in their lifetimes. Our report is designed to help people navigate this decision by showing them how areas of England and Wales score on some of the major factors that play a part in everyday family life – whether that’s the quality of local schools or the area’s crime rates.

“Through the help of our league table and online tool, we hope we can help to give families more of the information they need when deciding where to live.”

For more information and to compare Plymouth with other ‘Family Hotspots’, visit www.familyinvestments.co.uk/hotspots