Quality of Living Index Rankings 1. Bristol 2. Edinburgh 3. Cardiff 4. Liverpool 5. Leeds 6. Manchester 7. London 8. Belfast 9. Glasgow 10. Birmingham 11. Sheffield 12. Bradford | It would be wrong to ignore the fact that yesterday the Telegraph reported that Bristol is the best city to live in the UK. Among other things, this came down to the fact that our city has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. While Bristol sat smugly at the top, my birthplace London only made it to seventh place on the Quality of Living Index, behind Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Having been sworn in as Bristol's mayor only eleven months ago in November 2012, George Ferguson has been determined to improve the city he loves and has lived in for 47 years even more. And we've felt these efforts in ways already. Coming from the point of view of a restaurant and event reviewer, I am probably biased, but I think it's fair to say that aside from salaries and unemployment rates, Bristol's great events and truly scrumptious restaurants definitely make for happier residents of Bristol. Well, eating in them and going to them definitely makes me a happier resident. But maybe that's just me. And with Bristol Street Artist My Dog Sighs painting hugs in mystery locations and leaving free pieces of his art across the city at the moment, we have even more reason to be smiling. While it's not all dandy for everyone, and there are still many many unemployed people in the city of course, there are also so many things that Bristol does and provides in order to help those less fortunate. Let's be really grateful for the wonderful city we live in. |