With house prices varying hugely throughout the UK, the team at Glint Pay have researched where's best to buy.
So how did they do it? By weighing price per square foot against average salary, crime rate and life satisfaction, Glint assigned each area in the UK a House Buying Score out of 100, to produce full rankings for the best places to buy in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.
Good news is that Yorkshire came out on top and has been revealed as the second-best region to buy a house in the UK. With a house buying score of 59/100, just behind the North East at 61/100, but above the North West and Midlands.
Image: Glint Pay
Rainy as it may be, with seven northern regions appearing in the top 10, Yorkshire is obviously the clear victor in the house buying study. And we may be biased, but we agree it is most definitely the best place to live as well.
It was found that Yorkshire houses offer some of the best value for money, ranging between £202-255 per square ft., well below the national average of £366. The only downside being that houses in Yorkshire tend to be on the smaller side with South Yorkshire even having the smallest houses in the UK (973 sq. ft. on average).
Image: Glint Pay
It's no surprise that the South of England dominate the bottom of the table but if you are keen to cross the divide, Staffordshire (67/100), Derbyshire (60/100) and Herefordshire (60/100) snuck into the top 10, though houses here are decidedly pricier than their northern counterparts.
Surprisingly Kent (22/100) overtook Greater London (24/100) in being the worst place to buy in England, the reason being that average salaries in Kent are £9,000 lower than London, meaning reduced buying power. Add to that a comparable crime rate to the capital, and Kent’s fate is sealed.
Image: Glint Pay
Taking a closer look, 6 of the 10 least expensive areas per square ft. are in South West Scotland, while 7 of the 10 most expensive areas are in South East England.
So there you have it, if you weren't convinced that Yorkshire wasn't the best place on earth already then here's some more evidence to convince you.
To read the full article and more of the findings, take a loot at Glint's website.
The Reliance, a much missed North Street site, is being brought back to life as The Smithfield.
The Smithfield is set to be a new social eatery and pub focused on seasonal, produce-led dining.
Set to open its doors to the people of Leeds in early April, The Smithfield will pay homage to the local area through both its produce and people.
The venue will focus on proper plates of seasonal ingredients, pairing a relaxed dining style with a strong sense of community. Sounds pretty brilliant if you ask us.
Building on the legacy of North Street, The Smithfield is a collaborative project between Yorkshire brewery Crooked Brewing and chef James Donovan.
Images: Supplied
Steve Dawson, co-founder of Crooked Brewing, has long admired The Reliance and want to build on its established legacy.
“What The Reliance was doing was cutting edge for its time,” says Donovan. “We want to bring that same vision and energy into Leeds in 2026. Our aim is to pick up the culinary torch that The Reliance left behind and continue its legacy of great food in Leeds,” adds Dawson.
The Smithfield takes its name from Church Street’s historic connection to the Smithfield cattle market of the early 1800s, once located on what is now Lovell Park.
“We really want the people around us to feel that The Smithfield is their space,” says Dawson. “We want to give them a place at our table.”
We'll keep you updated with an opening date as and when we know, but we're very excited indeed.
Jungle are back and have announced a huge Leeds gig for later this year
Daisy Jackson
Modern funk and soul band Jungle are officially heading back to Leeds.
The Mercury Prize-nominated group will be performing at the First Direct Bank Arena this November, following their blistering summer on the festival circuit last year.
They'll be heading to Leeds on Saturday 21 November 2026.
Jungle was formed back in 2013 by producers and friends Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland.
While they technically worked as a duo for years (until 2023, when touring member Lydia Kitto became an official member of the band), Jungle are known for their huge live performances.
They always fill stages with musicians and vocalists, for incredible funk n soul live shows.
The bands huge hits include Back on 74, Casio, and Busy Earnin’, from four top-10 albums including 2023’s groundbreaking Volcano.
The upcoming Leeds date forms part of the band’s upcoming world tour, which arrives in the UK in November 2026 following a string of international performances across Europe, North America, and beyond.
Fans can expect a setlist jam packed with standout tracks, including fan favourites such as ‘Volcano’ and ‘Back On 74’ and newer material from their upcoming album ‘Sunshine’, released on 14 August that continues to push the band’s signature sound forward.
With over 3.4 billion streams to their name, Jungle’s Leeds show is set to be one of the hottest tickets of 2026 so we wouldn't mess about if we were you.
Tickets for Jungle in Manchester will go on general sale from 10am on Friday 27 March, with pre-sale from 10am on Thursday 26 March.
Clementine Hall -
19th May 2022 
