Leeds residents 'happiest'

Residents love the city's shops and entertainment

Leeds is the best place to live in the UK, a study by a leading management centre has found.

More people living in the thriving West Yorkshire city are happier than urban-dwellers elsewhere thanks to their balanced quality of life, the report says.

Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester form the top five places for a happy life - while London came sixth on the list.

Leeds resident have joined tourists who recently rated the city as the best in the UK in a major travel journal survey.

Henley Management College surveyed the work and leisure practices of 1,000 people aged between 15 and 35 in eight UK cities.

Our people too know how to enjoy themselves and how to balance life's many competing pressures. Council leader Keith Wakefield

The Urban Behaviours project aimed to find out which city could offer the best lifestyle.

Researchers quizzed residents on issues such as public transport, local amenities, cleanliness and entertainment.

They found that 65% of Leeds residents rated their city as excellent, followed by 64% in Birmingham, 63% in Liverpool and 59% in Manchester.

Leeds City Council leader Keith Wakefield said: "It's easy to see why Leeds has done so well in this survey - our city has a wonderful mix of shops, restaurants, countryside, nightlife, culture and more.

"Our people too know how to enjoy themselves and how to balance life's many competing pressures."

"Of course there are plenty of areas where we want to make things even better, and we are working hard to do just that."