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New research exposes most unaffordable places to live in the North West
Oldham is the toughest area to live in the North West as a combination of low average earnings and a low employment rate put pressure on residents, according to new research.
The study, carried out by Your Housing Group, ranked every local authority in the North West, showing which areas are the best and which are the most challenging for “liveability”.
The areas were tested against a number of factors, including housing availability and cost, as well as jobs, wages that meet the cost of living, and schools.
Oldham was ranked the most challenging area, followed by Blackburn with Darwen, and Knowsley. Although Oldham appeared affordable, with below-average house prices and lower rents, the average earnings of local residents and high unemployment means locals struggle to afford housing costs.
This is combined with other pressures for average earners, such as overcrowding in available housing and a challenging local labour market with a job density – a measure of job availability – of only 0.70, compared to the national average of 0.81.
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Manchester was also in the bottom five due to “extremely challenging affordability” and has among the greatest need for new affordable housing to be built, the study found.
Conversely, areas such as South Lakeland, Fylde and Eden, which are renowned for high housing costs, are some of the best places to live in the North West for average earners when the higher local average salaries are taken into account, as well as the availability of good opportunities in work and education, as well as good amenities on offer to local residents.
A wider study, covering every English local authority, will be released later this year.
Brian Cronin, chief executive of Your Housing Group, said: “This important new research reveals the hidden problem areas for average earners in towns and cities across the North West. Importantly, it also shows where we need to see the development of more genuinely affordable homes.”
He added that large commercial developers were “failing to deliver the homes people need at a price they can afford” and suggested that housing associations could play a major role in solving the problem.
“We are now working on ideas to get new funding into this sector, including from responsible investors like pension funds, and will soon be publishing our findings,” he said.
