Following a survey by YouGov , a PlaceIndex has ranked Britain’s major cities by various factors including cultural experience, atmosphere, ease of getting around, shops and restaurants, safety, investment potential and recommendation to visit. The indicators were combined to form an overall “desirability” score.

London tops the index on a number of indicators, notably cultural experience, good cuisine and shopping. With the famous ‘black cabs’ roaming the streets, a good bus network and the hustle and bustle of the underground, people also find London easy to get around.

York and Edinburgh also score highly, surpassing London on atmosphere, safety and overall as the most desirable city. With friendly neighbours, a strong perception of being safe and with people likely to recommend to a friend, it is no surprise that these two cities are considered an investment haven. There is a clear pattern that the more ‘unfriendly’ cities are clustered towards the south, London rated lowest for having friendly and helpful neighbours.

Oxford and Cambridge have more to offer than just their universities, not only are they considered safe cities to visit but they provide a cultural experience, a good atmosphere and good food.

Bradford is classed as Britain’s least desirable city in the index, coming last on atmosphere, safety, investment potential, ease of getting around and likelihood to recommend to a friend. However Bradford does score better on quality of restaurants – its highest ranking on any measure. Sunderland and Salford also prop up the list on several indicators, notably variety of restaurants and shops.

Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool are a mixed bag, scoring highly on variety of shops and quality of restaurants, but low on safety.