Ilkley is the regional winner in the 2025 Best Places to Live guide, published this weekend by The Sunday Times.
The town previously was named the UK's best place to live three years ago and has been regularly on the list of hotspots across the region - but this year tops a table of 8 locations across the North and North East. The Sunday Times judges said:
“Our national winner in 2022 is back and proof that you can’t keep a good town down. It’s not just the fresh air, fantastic scenery, excellent schools and direct trains to Leeds that make Ilkley this year’s pick of the north and northeast. It’s the get-up and go of a community that tackles every challenge with gusto.”
Listen to Best Places to Live guide's chief judge Tim Palmer talking to Your Ilkley's Stuart Clarkson about why Ilkley tops the list for the region this year here.
Saffron Walden in Essex is named as the best place to live in the UK this year - topping the list of 72 locations identified by judges from across the UK.
The full list of North and North East locations for 2025 is:
Ilkley, West Yorkshire (regional winner)
Easingwold, North Yorkshire
Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
Horsforth, Leeds
Morpeth, Northumberland
Ripon, North Yorkshire
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear
Ilkley's Mayor, Cllr Damian Kearns, thinks it is no surprise:
"We have a beautiful town set in a stunning landscape which is home to a rich and varied cultural life. Ilkley is a festival town with year-round events which draw visitors from near and far.
"There is a strong sense of community which manifests in all sorts of great work that benefits our residents. Add to this first-class schools and good transport links and it is easy to understand the popularity of our lovely town."
Sarah Brookfield-Almond, manager of the Ilkley Business Improvement District said:
“This recognition is such an honour for Ilkley. It really is a wonderful place to live and work, with a wide variety of exceptional businesses, a thriving social scene, an incredible range of clubs and activities to cater for all interests and, of course, beautiful scenery. It’s also testament to the local community and its proactive ‘can do’ attitude, recently demonstrated by the design and installation of a stunning fountain, organised by a group of dedicated volunteers, which now takes pride of place in the heart of the town. We're very proud to call Ilkley our home."
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says:
“It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look closer to home. From small gestures that lift the everyday like - verges blooming with daffodils and volunteer-run dementia cafés, to larger initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.”
The Sunday Times’ expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the Scottish Island of Tiree and the remote Welsh village of Maenclochog to vibrant market towns, and suburbs of big, lively cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and London.
There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide and no place for many previous winners including York, Winchester, in Hampshire, and Altrincham, in Cheshire. As always, the judges looked for thriving locations with a strong sense of community rather than famous names with high house prices.
Helen adds:
“What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there. That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That could be anything from exceptional schools and fast trains to beautiful houses and countryside. The health of the high street is important, but more than anything else, what we are looking for are towns, villages and cities with strong communities who work hard to make the best of where they live, and play hard too.
“We also consider affordability. High house prices are no barrier to inclusion - as long as they provide value for money. Different people will be looking for different qualities when they are choosing a place to live. One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home.”
You can see the full guide online at thetimes.com/best-places-to-live