This Yorkshire town has seen a huge surge in internet usage as more people opt to work remotely

New network data from TalkTalk has revealed a 46 per cent year-on-year increase in internet usage in Harrogate. The firm said the data suggests the migration of city workers to more desirable rural areas has already begun.

Increased working from home during the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated this trend, with network data usage in the town rising 25 per cent compared with pre-lockdown levels in the months between February and June 2020.

TalkTalk’s Lockdown Lessons report revealed that more than half (58 per cent) of UK workers said they have been more productive as a result of working from home and their bosses agree.

Nearly a third (30 per cent) of business leaders (directors, senior executives or owners) said working remotely had made their teams more productive, while over a third (35 per cent) said they were working more collaboratively.

Tristia Harrison, chief executive of TalkTalk, said: “Lockdown Britain has seen a boost in skills and productivity for home workers, so it does not come as a surprise to see that internet usage in Harrogate has increased.

“As people continue to navigate this path, home connectivity is vital. That’s why we’ve launched a new Homeworker Package with an additional business-grade line dedicated for home working.”

The TalkTalk data follows news earlier this week that Harrogate is the best place to work from home in the UK, according to research by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.

The North Yorkshire town topped the charts thanks to its superfast 60Mbps broadband, vast swathes of green space, low crime rates and good schools.

The only other Yorkshire town or city to make the top ten was York, which was awarded eighth place.

Bath and the Mendip area of Somerset, which includes England’s smallest city, Wells, came second and third in the Uswitch Remote Working Index, which ranks the desirability of the UK’s 100 biggest towns and cities based on broadband speed, green spaces, air quality, crime rates, quality of schools, and GPs per 100,000 people.

Adelana Carty, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, said: “The pandemic has turned our working routines upside down and given many of us a taste for what our lives could be like if we worked from home on a more permanent basis. Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in millions of people dreaming of ditching the rat race and moving away from the big city.

“Our Remote Working Index reveals some of the country’s best places to work remotely and Harrogate comes top thanks to its superfast broadband, huge amount of green spaces, good schools and great doctor numbers.”

The UK’s biggest cities ranked poorly on the index, with Birmingham 82nd, London in 88th place, and Manchester ranked 100th.

More than half of people (53 per cent) said house prices were the most important issue, 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). A fifth of people want to spend more time working from home once the pandemic is over.

Read the original Uswitch.com report here