This Yorkshire city has been named the best place in the UK for hybrid working

During the pandemic, working from home became all the more popular and as we were leaving lockdowns behind, a hybrid working system was put in place.

With the number of Brits dividing their time between home life and workplace doubling since the pandemic, York has been named the best place for this work-life balance structure according to a Hybrid Working Index conducted by Uswitch.com.

With the average broadband speeds of 159Mbps, large areas of green space, low crime rates and close proximity to the work hub, Leeds, York has been chosen as the UK’s most ideal hybrid working location, beating cities like Edinburgh, Belfast and Bristol which came in second, third and sixth place respectively.

However, York is not the only Yorkshire location ranked in this list as Harrogate has also been named the fifth best place in the UK for hybrid working.

Here is a full list of the top 10 best places in the UK for hybrid working.

1 - York

With its average broadband speed of 159Mbps and the nearest hub (Leeds) being only 22 miles away, York has taken first place on the list.

2 - Edinburgh

Scotland’s capital city has an average broadband speed of 115Mbps and it is the major hub.

3 - Belfast

Just like Edinburgh, Belfast has an average broadband speed of 115Mbps and is the major hub for hybrid workers.

4 - Redditch

Redditch has an average broadband speed of 109Mbps and the nearest hub is Birmingham which is just 12 miles away.

5 - Harrogate

With an average broadband speed of 82Mbps and the nearest hub in Leeds being 13 miles away, Harrogate came in fifth place.

6 - Bristol

This city has an average broadband speed of 114Mbps and is the nearest hub.

7 - Darlington

This large market town has an average broadband speed of 114Mbps and is just 31 miles away from the nearest hub in Newcastle upon Tyne.

8 - St Helens

St Helens has an average broadband speed of 116Mbps and is just 10 miles away from Liverpool which is the nearest hub.

9 - Bath and North East Somerset

Bath and North East Somerset has an average broadband speed of 77Mbps and is just 12 miles away from the nearest hub in Bristol.

10 - Exeter

Exeter has an average broadband speed of 106Mbps and is 78 miles away from Bristol.

The UK’s biggest cities rank further down the list, with London 23rd, Birmingham 30th and Manchester coming in 82nd place.

Uswitch created an index for the worst places in the UK for hybrid working and unsurprisingly, no Yorkshire locations made it on that list.

Broadband expert at Uswitch, Ernest Doku, 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. York comes top thanks to its combination of superfast broadband, huge amount of green spaces, and close proximity to work hub Leeds.

While some cities like Bristol 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.

“Do your research and pop your prospective postcode into an online comparison to see what speeds you could get before committing to a move. Once you’ve got the move confirmed, don’t forget to let your existing (and potentially new) broadband provider know, so you’re not caught short when the big day to switch comes.”