Britain has always been a hub for industry, and there are great reasons to live in the country’s biggest entrepreneurial spots. They attract the best and brightest people, pushing up demand for properties and increasing the value of your home. Plus, where there are affluent people, services soon pop up to encourage them to spend their money. From independent boutiques to new foodie hotspots, a rush of new businesses can transform an area.
Looking to live in a thriving entrepreneurial city? Here are the top 10.
1. Brighton
Instant Office named Brighton as the UK’s most entrepreneurial city in 2017, and there are a lot of reasons why. The University claims it is due to their professionally accredited Master of Business Administration (MBA) courses.
Brighton is a great choice for professionals who are looking to move out of London to start their own business. The people are young, creative and open-minded, and this has led to increasing demand for office space in the city.
2. Manchester
Named the heart of the Northern Powerhouse, Manchester is a city with a fantastic history of the best bands and football clubs. Now, it’s also known for the number of networking opportunities it has.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has ambitions to overtake Brighton to claim the top spot for the most businesses launched, and they are particularly keen to be known as the digital capital. It comes after ITV and the BBC based their northern operations from MediaCityUK, the UK’s biggest broadcasting centre outside London.
3. Leicester
This Midlands city has big ambitions to be a hub for start-ups. They host a yearly Business Festival and claim that Leicester and Leicestershire has the fastest growing regional economy within the UK outside of London. Large companies like housebuilders Barratt Homes, retailer Next and Caterpillar machinery are all based in the Leicester area, making it a booming area for business and manufacturing.
4. Bristol
The UCL School of Business named Bristol as the best place in the UK to grow and start a business, evaluating the cost and quality of support given to those starting a business. People who have started companies in the city say that the amount of great candidates for jobs makes it a great place to do business. They also said that having lots of other entrepreneurs around helped to solve their problems.
5. Liverpool
Liverpool City Council say, “Liverpool has been transformed into one of the UK’s leading business destinations by an ambitious and far-reaching regeneration programme.”
It has included providing more land to buy, community engagement, and lots of business potential for those wanting to run a start-up. They have run the ‘Knowledge Quarter’ partnership to encourage tech-based businesses to open in Liverpool. The Council is particularly keen to help research businesses to encourage innovation.
6. Leeds
Regeneration is coming to Leeds, with lots of recreation developments and homes coming to the city. Plus, it will soon be home to HS2, which will include a redesign of the station and, of course, faster journey times to neighbouring cities and London.
This is incredibly useful for businesses and will attract lots of entrepreneurs to the city. Many large companies are already based in the city, like supermarket ASDA, Bupa Care Homes and airline Jet2, which is headquartered at Leeds Bradford Airport.
7. Norwich
As the biggest city in rural East Anglia, Norwich is a great base to set up an agricultural, energy or food business. Local business development agencies are particularly keen to support start-ups that focus on green technology, like the wind farms off the coast of Norfolk.
For technology-based businesses, a programme called TechEast has been set up to create 5,000 digital technology jobs in Norwich and drive £650m of economic growth in the East of England by 2020.
8. Hull
Many eyes turned to Hull in 2017 as they were named City of Culture, showing the growing cultural scene and community spirit. Now, it is a great place to live and start a business.
There are many large businesses, mostly in manufacturing, in the area. Groups like ‘Hull Means Business’ are keen to promote the low running costs in the East Riding of Yorkshire, which are said to be up to 20% lower than the UK average.
9. Swansea
Swansea is a south Wales hub for business. There will soon be a train making facility that will provide hundreds of jobs, showing how much new business is welcome.
The Swansea Council clearly set out how new businesses can apply for funding, and particularly encourage young entrepreneurs to start their own companies.
10. Plymouth
This coastal city is becoming known for the number of tech jobs that it has, and the science park is amongst the biggest and busiest in the South West, with over 120 businesses. Talented graduates and employees are attracted to the city by the proximity to the sea and the moors.
The city hosts ‘Digital Plymouth’, which has recently evolved from a meetup into a one-day conference. Next, Plymouth Science Park is opening a new £7 million IT hub, providing flexible office space for up to 200 people.
Are you looking to move to an entrepreneurial hotspot? Contact your local Fine & Country office today.