Swindon makes Britain's top 10 places to live

Sun 31 Jul 2016

Dewhurst & Co have been marketing and managing properties in Swindon since 1996 and we have always believed that our home town is a terrific place to live, work and buy a home. But now it’s official! A new report by Glassdoor, a business website that collates company reviews and staff data from Britain’s largest companies, places Swindon at number 10 in a list of the 20 best UK towns and cities, ahead of big guns like London, Manchester and Edinburgh, not to mention neighbouring Bristol, Bath and Oxford.

“Swindon is a thriving town with a bright future,” says Mike Dewhurst, director and co-founder of Dewhurst & Co. “Eighteen of the South of England’s top companies are based here, including Nationwide, Intel, WH Smith, Honda, First Great Western and npower, plus it is home to heritage giants National Trust and English Heritage. That clearly means a wide range of career opportunities.”

An average base salary of £35,525 compared to the national average of 27,600 is another reason for good cheer among Swindon’s workforce, and that’s before we even mention staggeringly positive property comparisons. With house prices on the M4 corridor rising fast ahead of the 2019 Crossrail opening at Reading, an average property price of £235,507 makes Swindon a uniquely affordable location within commuting distance of London.

“I would urge any commuter, especially first-time buyers, to compare what they can get for their money in Swindon compared to other places in the South West and along the M4,” says Mike. “Look at the Dewhurst & Co listings and for less than £250,000 you’ll typically find 4-bed semi-detached homes with 80 ft. gardens, handsome 3-storey town houses, or detached properties with conservatories in quiet cul-de-sacs. What does £250,000 buy you in Maidenhead or the Cotswolds? The answer is not very much!”

“Swindon also offers exciting buy-to-let opportunities,” continues Mike. “Dewhurst’s property team manages 750 properties for landlords, and given Swindon’s young demographic the demand for flats always outstrips supply. Newish 2-bed flats are available for as little as £120,000, and landlords can expect similar rental yields to places like Bath and Oxford where they’d pay twice as much for properties.”

The Glassdoor rankings were based on key criteria including job opportunities, median salary, job satisfaction ratings, and property prices. Swindon scored well in every category, and in some areas (e.g. average salary) even finished above Cambridge, rated the best place to live in Britain. “Swindon sometimes gets a bad press,” concludes Mike Dewhurst, “but this survey demonstrates it has got an awful lot going for it as a place to live and establish a home.”

LET US HELP YOU SELL YOUR PROPERTY THIS SUMMER. To get a FREE valuation in 24 hours, please contact Chris Dewhurst on 01793 701111 or chris@dewhurstandco.com

DEWHURST & CO. 1996 - 2016. TWENTY YEARS' AS PROPERTY EXPERTS IN ONE OF THE BEST TOWNS IN BRITAIN.