The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly brought about some changes to our everyday lives, with remote working skyrocketing in recent months as companies sought to comply with government guidelines.
Nearly half of UK working adults have reported working remotely during the peak of Covid-19, compared to only 5% who considered their home as their main place of work last year.
Today, many employees are now set to work from home for the foreseeable future to ensure safety. This has led to a change in property trends among home movers, with many prioritising a home office and larger outdoor space, along with a strong internet connection.
Research by ONS reveals that 83% of employees feel they don’t need to be in an office to be productive, meaning workers can now consider moving further afield to their dream location at a greater distance from their workplace.
In light of this news, Zoopla has analysed property prices, internet speed, access to local cafes and a number of remote workers in over 100 locations to reveal the best places in the UK for remote working.
Birmingham, the second-largest city and urban area in England, took the spot as the number one location, scoring 69.8 out of 100 in Zoopla’s analysis, with internet speeds of 74.1Mbps and over 180 cafes and coffee shops for remote workers to choose from.
Hull appeared second in the running, with an overall score of 65.2. The northern port city, named the UK’s Capital of Culture in 2017, has over 75 cafes and coffee shops to work remotely, as well as an average internet speed of 131.4Mbps.
Regionally, the south-east of England is the top region to live in for remote workers, with 16 locations boasting great Wi-Fi speed and a variety of cafes and coffee shops to work from. The region is also ideal for the new wave of remote workers who previously commuted into London each day.
Tom Parker, consumer expert at Zoopla, says: “Over the years, the flexibility to work remotely has become an important perk for many people, and although some employers will still want face-to-face working environments, the last four months of lockdown has shown us how the UK workforce can quickly adapt to remote working.”
“With companies now seeing the option to reduce overhead spend and potentially lower the number of people in the office at one time to ensure their safety, there is now the opportunity for employees to move anywhere they want in the UK.”
The table below shows the top 10 locations for remote working in the UK:
Rank | Location | Average property price | Number of cafés & coffee shops | Number of people working from home (ONS) | Internet speed (Mbps) | Overall score (out of 100) |
1 | Birmingham | £187,850 | 181 | 33,231 | 74.1 | 69.8 |
2 | Hull | £128,774 | 78 | 5,742 | 131.4 | 65.2 |
3 | Bradford | £123,624 | 62 | 19,562 | 62.9 | 62.4 |
4 | Leeds | £199,842 | 174 | 29,997 | 65.6 | 61.2 |
5 | Glasgow | £190,619 | 212 | 26,531 | 64.6 | 60.9 |
6 | Huddersfield | £162,356 | 67 | 17,926 | 60.7 | 54.4 |
7 | Liverpool | £158,858 | 192 | 12,340 | 70.6 | 54.3 |
8 | Edinburgh | £277,767 | 316 | 25,210 | 77.4 | 54.2 |
9 | Grimsby | £138,291 | 30 | 4,690 | 89.6 | 52.4 |
9 | Belfast | £159,564 | 115 | 9,626 | 79.8 | 52.4 |
10 | Wigan | £152,768 | 37 | 10,932 | 65.3 | 52.2 |
