Lancaster ranked in list of UK's 'most progressive cities'

In 2019, Bankrate UK - a mortgage firm which is part of the Zoopla Property Group - analysed seven individual criteria in order to assess how progressive the UK’s cities are with regards to social and environmental issues.

It has revisited the criteria this year to see which cities have continued to make headway on these issues and who has taken a step back.

The criteria are online search trends, voter turnout, Vegan/vegetarian restaurants, recycling rates, Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) registrations, gender pay gap and women in local government.

This year, Lancaster made the list at number 39, just below Carlisle, and just above Hull.

It has moved up six places on last year.

Each criteria is marked out of five. Lancaster scores highest for the number of Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) registrations.

The top three spots in the list are taken up by Bath, Bristol and Leicester respectively.

There are a total of 69 cities in the UK.

Bankrate said: "With the nation working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, many are re-evaluating their options when it comes to location, location, location.

"How progressive a city or town is can be really important to house hunters, as they look to make their move to a destination that may be better suited to their values and beliefs.

"The mortgage experts at Bankrate UK assessed how progressive each UK city is, using key data points relating to social and environmental issues.

"The ‘progressiveness’ of a city is defined not only by its recognition of the issues, but how the city addresses them and enables positive change.

"Whether it’s a green-minded commitment to recycling, a strong voter turnout, or ensuring gender diversity in local government, these cities have not just realised their duty to encourage a socially-aware community, but they are enabling its continued progress."

You can see the full list HERE.