Source: Warrington Guardian 26 January 2026
Living standards have improved in Warrington, new research has shown.
The town has ranked fifth on a list of top performers for growth of living standards in the UK from 2013 to 2023.
This is according to Centre for Cities which published Cities Outlook 2026 today, Monday, – its annual flagship report on the UK’s urban economies.
Over this 10-year period, Warrington residents’ disposable income rose by 5.3 per cent.
This is compared to just 2.4 per cent across the UK, meaning the town bucked the national trend of slow growth.
The top performer for growth of living standards was Brighton which saw a 8.1 per cent increase in disposable income from 2013 to 2023.
Worthing was second with 7.8 per cent, London was third with 5.98 per cent and Barnsley was 5.6 per cent.
Over the same decade, Warrington saw a total economic growth of 41 per cent. This is the highest out of any town or city in the UK. In comparison, London’s was 18.9 per cent.
Centre for Cities says the research shows that the Government’s economic growth milestone – ensuring economic growth is felt by everyone, everywhere by the end of this parliament – relies on achieving faster living standards growth in the UK’s urban economies.
Andrew Carter, chief executive of Centre for Cities, says: “It is understandable that the Government has shifted its emphasis onto the cost of living in recent weeks, but ultimately it is stronger economic growth that raises household incomes. Without growth, cost-of-living fixes can only ever be temporary.
“Nationally, the last decade has delivered the same amount of growth in living standards as we typically experienced in a single year prior to 2008.
“In places like Warrington and Barnsley, economic growth has translated into higher household incomes and less deprivation. That isn’t accidental: it is shaped by policy choices on skills, transport, housing, and support for businesses.
“The Government’s planning reforms, devolution agenda and Industrial Strategy are crucial for supporting growth in cities and delivering better living standards year after year. Cities need to support more jobs in the new economy – in sectors backed by the Industrial Strategy like life sciences, digital and AI. These jobs cluster in urban areas and generate benefits for those working in the ‘everyday economy’, too.
“As the Prime Minister has said, 2026 needs to be the year that ‘politics shows it can help again’. The test, at the end of this year, will be whether we are seeing more jobs, higher wages, and stronger local growth in more places across the country.”
