Manchester has been named as one of the top 10 best places in the UK for a night out, but it’s not so good news for Salford.
With Manchester being the home of 24-hour party people and having a nightlife scene that’s globally renowned, it’s probably no surprise to hear that a new public survey has crowned the city one of the country’s best for a night out.
A short trip over to the neighbouring Salford however, and it’s a different story as the fellow Greater Manchester city is ranked as being one of the worst nightlife spots.
The Night Out Index has been compiled using newly-conducted research by public opinion consultancy, Public First, and has looked at the size of the night time economy across more than 100 major towns and cities in England and Wales to create a top 10 best list, and on the other end of the spectrum, a top 10 worst list.
Manchester only narrowly secured its place on the favourable list, however, just managing to grab the coveted tenth spot.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester named in top 10 best UK cities for a night out / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph) | PickPik
The Southern coastal city of Brighton was named the best place to head to for night out, based on the number of restaurants, pubs, bars, and clubs it’s home to, while the picturesque city of Bath came in second place, and the historic Yorkshire city of York took the number three spot.
Fellow Northern cities Chester, Newcastle, and Harrogate also made the top 10.
ADVERTISEMENT
On the flip side, Salford has found itself at the front end of the list of the top 10 worst places for a night out, grabbing the fourth spot and only being beaten by the the southern trio of Basildon, Bracknell, and Slough at number one.
Bradford was the only other northern representative to make the top 10, with the rest of the ‘worst’ list featuring southern towns and cities.
Top 10 Best Places for a Night Out
Brighton
Bath
York
Chester
Shrewsbury
Cambridge
Harrogate
Newcastle
Cheltenham
Manchester
Public First said that the Night Out Index focused on licensed establishments to measure the strength of nightlife, the Mirror reports, and did not consider unlicensed evening establishments – including shisha bars or late-night dessert parlours, which have both grown significantly in popularity.
ADVERTISEMENT
Overall, Public First says northern towns have seen some of the biggest improvements in nightlife, with Leeds, Liverpool, and Halifax leading the way with a roughly 20% increase in the per capita number of night time establishments.
On another local level though, according to Public First, Rochdale has seen one of the biggest declines in the Night Out Index.
Just under half (46%) of major towns and cities in England and Wales have seen an improvement in nightlife over the past decade, as measured by the Night Out Index, while the remaining 54% have seen a deterioration.
It’s according to the Night Out Index compiled using a research survey by Public First / Credit: shawnanggg (via Unsplash)
Top 10 Worst Places for a Night Out
Slough
Basildon
Bracknell
Salford
Chatham
Harlow
Luton
Bradford
Redditch
Gillingham
Speaking on the findings of the Night Out Index, Scott Corfe – Data and Modelling Team Director at Public First – said: “Our Night Out Index reveals big differences in the health of the night-time economy in different parts of the country, as well as some major changes in the make-up of the night time economy with the shift towards restaurants.
“It’s encouraging to see the nighttime economy contributing to ‘levelling up’ in the North of England, particularly with the greatly improved nightlife scenes in Leeds, Liverpool and Halifax over the past decade.
“However, with the Night Out Index declining in over half of towns and cities over the past decade, much needs to be done to strengthen the night-time economy elsewhere.”
A ‘legacy walk’ in memory of the Joe Thompson is taking place across Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
The ‘Walk With Me for JT’, a.k.a Joe Thompson ‘Legacy Walk’, is back next month, and Greater Mancunians are being encouraged to take part.
Returning this year following his tragic passing last April, the now annual charity walk has already raised thousands for charity and is set for another big turnout.
Joe Thompson, an ex-Rochdale AFC and Bury FC player, sadly died at just 36 following a long battle with lymphoma, having been diagnosed three different times in 12 years.
While the young husband and father of two’s story is a heartbreaking one, it has also become a source of inspiration for so many across the North West and, indeed, across the UK, with people once again gearing up to complete a fundraising walk in his name.
Set to honour him by making the journey from his adopted home of Rochdale all the way to Old Trafford, with Thompson having come through Man United’s youth academy, the 15-mile trek will start at his former club’s Crown Oil Arena and stop at Bury’s Gigg Lane as well as Salford City’s Peninsula Stadium.
First held in 2024 under the ‘Walk With Me for JT’ banner, the initial legacy walk saw the Bath-born footballer and countless others complete 21 miles in an effort to raise money for treatment.
Gone but never forgotten, the charity walk survives not only in the hearts and souls of his family, friends and other people’s lives he touched, but in the community spirit that his struggle and immense bravery in the face of illness helped spur on throughout the region and beyond.
Writing on social media, the Thompson family and the Foundation in his memory said, “Last year, he walked beside us. This year, we walk for him. This isn’t just a walk… It’s a promise. A promise to carry his strength, his belief, his light forward.
For every family facing illness. For everyone experiencing loss or hardship. For anyone who needs hope right now. Every step matters. Every mile has meaning. Whether you’ve walked before or this is your first time. You won’t walk alone.”
Join the annual Joe Thompson legacy walk on Saturday 2nd May 💙
Departing from the Crown Oil Arena, the 15-mile walk will finish at Manchester United's Old Trafford 🏟️
They signed off by adding: “Be part of something bigger. Be part of Joe’s legacy. Be part of the movement. Get a team together, invite your friends, colleagues and family and let’s raise funds to support The Joe Thompson Foundation.”
With the event beginning at 11am on Saturday, 2 May, there have already been numerous sign-ups, and you can expect even more to lace up their shoes and pay tribute to a local hero.
If you want to join in the effort and help do your bit, you can register for the 2026 Joe Thompson Legacy Walk right HERE.
Manchester rent is now ‘41% more expensive than five years ago, according to a recent study
Danny Jones
Yes, that’s right, as per some of the latest data on leased housing in central Manchester, it’s now approximately 41% more expensive to rent here than it was half a decade ago.
If you’ve lived in and around the city centre for long enough, chances are that you’ve already been feeling that difference, especially of late.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis roughly began in 2021, following the economy and the world essentially opening back up after multiple lockdowns, so it’s little surprise that new research has shown affordability when it comes to renting has been on a slump ever since, too.
As well as the price of seemingly most things in everyday life going up post-pandemic, the average rental rate for even just a one-bedroom flat/apartment has jumped up significantly between 2020 and 2025.
Even some ‘available’ housing in town is being hampered by claddin (Credit: Valienne via WikiCommons)
That’s according to the numbers crunched by credit card experts, Zable, anyway.
Not only did their recent report cite the rent prices going up even before the cost of living crisis – essentially following the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak – but if their figures, the rate of inflation and the unwaveringly high demand for housing are anything to go by, this trajectory is likely to continue in 2026.
As of February this year, around one in three UK households is now a single-person occupancy, which already comes with its challenges (the Manchester City Council tax discount being a thin lifeline for countless), not to mention energy bills and the cost of groceries continuing on an upwards trend.
Put in the simplest and most reductive terms, it’s now almost £300 dearer for most people to live on their own than it was back in 2020, and besides Liverpool clocking in as second on the list of increasingly expensive cities to live (a 42.12% increase), Manchester came in third.
You can see the full table down below:
Rank
City
% increase – 2020-2025
Difference from 2020 to 2025 in £
Average rental cost for a 1 bed 2025
1
Newport
47.39%
£2,611
£8,121
2
Liverpool
42.12%
£2,290
£7,727
3
Manchester
41.00%
£3,364
£11,569
4
Edinburgh
40.28%
£4,620
£16,090
5
Leicester
39.93%
£2,391
£8,379
6
Wolverhampton
39.22%
£2,049
£7,273
7
Nottingham
39.07%
£2,400
£8,543
8
Glasgow
38.02%
£2,679
£9,725
9
Colchester
37.63%
£2,617
£9,572
10
Cardiff
37.06%
£2,828
Average rental cost for a 1-bed 2025
Another fear is that with lots of people finding it hard to manage living in other major cities like London, even those moving to Manchester are also having an impact on how available affordable housing is here.
That’s why schemes such as the new ‘social rent’ development over in Wythenshawe are so important to the current generations of renters, with the possibility of owning your own property in the future becoming increasingly difficult for so many.
It’s also worth noting that Manchester ranked fourth among the British locations where the cost of living is said to have increased the most over the past five years, with the average difference in annual spend growing by an estimated 22.84%.
Emily Sergeant -
10th July 2023 
