A West Yorkshire town has been named one of the most affordable places to live as a single parent in the UK.

Ilkley featured highly in rankings from the family law team at Richard Nelson LLP Solicitors, being named in the top 12 locations based on numerous factors.

Richard Nelson LLP Solicitors commented on their findings: “While our research has revealed the best places to live as a single parent based on a range of factors – from green space to crime rate – we’ve also taken a deep dive into affordability, giving each location a total score out of 106.

“With the cost of living crisis and child care expenses on the rise, it’s never been such a financial challenge to raise a child – let alone on a single income. In fact, a study published in 2022 by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, revealed that almost half of children raised in lone parent households are living in relative poverty.

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“From Child Benefit and Free School Meals entitlements to council tax reductions, there are support systems in place for lone parents to access should they need. However, the area you choose to raise a child plays a huge role in your general living expenses and ability to set aside savings.

“To help single income households with their basic right to be financially independent and self-sufficient during a time where finances have never been so stretched, we’ve narrowed down the most affordable places to live, having ranked each location based on the average house price, average salary, electricity rate and council tax.”

Why is Ilkley one of the most affordable places for a single parent to live?

Ilkely was ranked in 4th position among the 12 most affordable places for a single parent to live.

The analysis found it has an average house price of £508,000 and those working in the town are paid an average salary of £32,318.

Additionally, the electricity unit rate per kWh is 23.36.

Other factors revealed Ilkley has a 100.00% Ofsted proportion, and from a crime rate per 1,000 people, it scored 72.

The full data table for Ilkley can be found here.

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Lauren Greenhalgh, consultant solicitor in the family law team at Richard Nelson LLP, said: “Given the current economic climate, there’s never been a more challenging time to be a lone parent.

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“Despite this, there are more than 2.9 million single parents in the UK therefore we wanted to conduct research to establish which areas of the UK would be best for lone parents to raise their children in.

“The transition to being a single parent can be a real challenge for many, with finances, personal confidence and sense of belonging all thrown into question.

“Exploring a new life in a different location can be daunting and full of challenges, so we wanted our research to offer some insight for those that find themselves in that position.”