Money blog: 72 best places to live in UK - did your town make list? (2025)

By Jess Sharp, Money live reporter

The decision to hold the UK's base interest rate at 4.5% didn't come as a surprise this week - but the level of concern within the Bank of England about inflation rising again was notable.

"We have to be quite careful at this point in how we calibrate our response because we're still seeing a very gradual fall in inflation. We need to accumulate the evidence," said Governor Andrew Bailey.

Before the decision, markets were expecting at least two more cuts this year, but LSEG data showed that investors are no longer considering that as a guarantee.

The chances of a rate cut at the next meeting in May are now below 50%, according to the data.

The latest financial market forecasts are now anticipating a 0.43 percentage points cut by the end of 2025 (down from 0.52 the day before the Bank's decision).

A figure of 0.50 would represent two 0.25 percentage point interest rate cuts by the bank, taking the rate to 4% in December.

Our business and economics correspondent Gurpreet Narwan explored more about what was behind the Bank's decision here...

What it means for you

Mark Hicks, head of active savings at Hargreaves Lansdown, said people can expect "another month of robust rates" in the savings market, with the best fixed deals hanging on above 4.5% and the best easy access at 4.75%.

In the mortgage market, Money blog regular and associate director at L&C Mortgages David Hollingworth said the Bank's decision should cause "barely a ripple".

He explains more about that in this post...

Wage growth

One thing concerning the Bank is wage growth - we learned this week that it came in at 5.9% in the three months to January, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Making adjustments for inflation, wages grew 2.2% more than prices.

When wages rise, businesses often face higher costs, which can result in higher prices for consumers and inflation to rise - something the Bank is trying to avoid.

A lot of Money readers were sceptical of the data...

New Asda strategy

Away from the government and the economy, Asda rattled its rivals with a new strategy.

The retailer said it was sacrificing some of its profits to bring down prices for shoppers, cutting the cost of thousands of products by as much as 45%. It also reduced fuel prices by 4p a litre.

M&S, Sainsbury's and Tesco saw more than £4bn wiped off their combined value following the announcement, before making a slight recovery.

We're signing off for the week now - but don't forget to check out our long read from 8am tomorrow morning.

This week, we take a look at all the bills going up in April and how to beat them.

Millennials are spending £1bn a year on mobile phone storage, according to research by O2.

Almost half of phone users are paying for extra storage to keep hold of photos, videos and unused apps, it found.

Those aged between 29 and 44 pay six times more than their older counterparts over a year at £33.36, compared with £4.80.

Here are some top tips to keep your digital hoarding costs down from Virgin Media O2's director of connectivity Gareth Lister.

• Say no to automatic saving: Some apps, like WhatsApp will automatically save photos onto your phone, but you can turn this feature off.
• Clean out voice notes, videos and photos from your chat history: They can take up lot of space, so make sure you delete them regularly.
• Listen and then delete: Podcast downloads can pile up, so try to delete episodes once you have listened to them. Lister says file sizes can be between 25MB and 50MB per episode.
• Steer clear of filming in 4K: Lister says this requires significantly more storage space than lower resolutions.
• Organise and delete unneeded apps: If you've not used an app in several weeks, consider whether you really need it.
• Delete videos you'll never rewatch:Gig-goers especially are renowned for filming clips at gigs, and while it’s great to capture those memories, do you really need 20 videos of one song?

Five years ago, the COVID pandemic was taking hold and Boris Johnson was preparing to put the country into lockdown.

Almost 227,000 people died from the virus across the country, and the many parts of the UK were changed forever.

With people confined to their homes, working from home became the norm - but is it still fit for purpose?

We asked work and careers expert and author of Work BackwardsTim Duggan to write a post for Money looking at the three ways the system has changed...

"You must stay at home" were the five key words that Johnson uttered on 23 March 2020 from 10 Downing Street in a televised address announcing the UK's first nationwide lockdown.

Since that day, there are three main ways in which our working practices have changed.

Hybrid working

The first of these is the proliferation of hybrid working. Before the pandemic began, remote and hybrid working from home was rare, with around 10% of people saying that was something they regularly did.

In the first months of the pandemic, this accelerated to around half of workers. And now, five years later, it's settled to around a quarter of employees around the UK working a hybrid mix of in-office and from home, rising to around 40% of all London workers.

Of all the sudden changes we saw during the pandemic (remember online concerts and baking bread?), this shift to hybrid working is perhaps the most significant lasting example.

There has been considerable research into this phenomenon and its effect on productivity, and half a decade later the science is starting to settle.

The growing consensus among researchers is employees with a hybrid schedule of three days in an office and two days working from home are just as productive as fully in-office peers - and keeps the ability for hybrid workers to be equally promoted.

Employee empowerment

Before 2020, employers had almost all the power in the workplace. They determined where you worked, on what days, and during what hours. The start of the pandemic was the beginning of a colossal tug-of-way between employers and employees, as it empowered workers with more ability to push back on their conditions.

This is evident even for workers who don't have the ability to work from home, who may have still seen positive changes in their employee's approach to flexible options.

Experimentation

The final change is that businesses now realise they can experiment more.

The pandemic proved that the way that we work is not set in stone, and we can all adapt to large changes quickly. This opens the door for even bigger concepts, like four-day work weeks, to be the subject of experiments.

The previous thinking that "we've always done it that way" can now be questioned, bringing fresh approaches to old problems.

Celebrities have urged the government to rethink its "shameful" cuts to disability benefits.

Succession star Brian Cox, veteran presenter Sir Stephen Fry and actor Stanley Tucci are among those who have asked the prime minister to make a U-turn on the controversial changes.

Cox, who has previously spoken about his own experience of the "brutal reality" of childhood poverty, said the plans "make no sense and will have a lasting impact on the lives of so many people already finding it difficult to afford life's essentials".

Sir Stephen said cuts should not be targeted at "the most vulnerable" and told the government: "It's not too late to rethink this."

Comedian Rosie Jones, who has cerebral palsy, said the cuts will "only deepen the hardship" disabled people are already facing.

"Disabled people are scared of what the future holds if there are cuts to disability payments, as they are already not enough to cover life's essentials," she said.

Tucci, who is based in London and has worked with food bank charity Trussell, criticised the government's plan as "wrong", saying: "The reality of these cuts will be parents in disabled families having to skip meals so that they can feed their children".

Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Arlene Phillips said the social security system "should be rooted in justice and compassion" and that cutting disability benefits "is shameful".

Experts have estimated that around a million people in England and Wales will lose their disability benefits as part of the overhaul.

Sir Keir Starmer has said the current system is "morally and economically indefensible", and his government has estimated the changes will save more than £5bn by the end of the decade.

Changes to eligibility for the main disability benefit, the personal independence payment (Pip), are expected to account for the largest proportion of savings.

Pizza Express is celebrating its 60th birthday by bringing back 1965 prices - meaning you can get a margherita for just 33p.

On 27 March 1965, the now high-street staple opened its first restaurant in Soho, becoming London's first eatery dedicated to only serving full sized pizzas.

Now it has more than 300 restaurants across the UK and 100 branches worldwide.

Here's everything you need to know about the deal...

It will only be available between 5pm-6pm on Thursday 27 March.

Alongside the 33p margherita pizza, you'll also be able to get a La Reine (ham, mushrooms and olives) for 49p, The American (pepperoni) for 45p and a spicy pepperoni American Hot for 50p.

If you fancy a Romana base, you'll be able to upgrade for an extra £1.95.

There's also a 1965 Icons set menu offering two courses for £19.65, which is available now until 28 March.

You don't have to worry about whether your local branch is a participating restaurant either, with all UK locations taking part in the offer.

Mortgage rates are high, house prices have been rising again, and saving for a deposit has become increasingly difficult for many.

So what is the process of buying and selling a home really like in 2025?

Over the course of this year we're going to find out with two people, a buyer and a seller, who are going through the process.

Minreet Kaur is a 44-year-old first-time buyer looking for a three to four bedroom home in Windsor, Egham or Burnham, for her and her elderly parents to live in.

With a £650,000 budget, she is looking for a property that suits all her family's needs, with her mother suffering from incurable blood cancer, her dad needing enough space for his garden tools and a prayer room for all of them to enjoy.

"I have lived in a two-bedroom terraced for 44 years and we have very limited space, it's now a very old house and I have wanted to move for years but I just couldn't do it financially. Even now it's not easy, it still feels tough as a single woman doing it on my own," she said.

While a garage and a garden is at the top of Minreet's wishlist, staying in the local community is even more important.

"I can't move too far as my parents will be living with me and they need the comfort of local community and the place of worship and be able to get by on public transport," she explained.

"We really need something that is a better area than where we are in Hayes as there is so much fly-tipping here and also people renting so they don't look after the house. I just don't feel safe where I am. I want more green spaces and more lived in neighbours in a nicer area."

Denise Palmer Davies is a 45-year-old mother of two trying to sell her £1.5m home in Esher.

Despite the expensive price tag, she is in a similar position to many other sellers because she can't afford to accept anything under the asking price.

Her heart is already set on another house in the Surrey village, so it's a race against the clock to get hers sold so she can submit an offer.

"The village holds special meaning for me, as it's where my mother was born, my grandparents lived, and my great-great-grandfather built many of the surrounding cottages. When my dad retired, my parents moved back to the village, and I now live just a stone's throw away," she said.

"We bought our home for just over £800,000 and invested more than £200,000 in a double-storey and rear extension.

"Now, with our eldest daughter approaching 12 and in her first year at senior school, we've started to feel like we've outgrown our home."

We'll be following their journeys until they have both reached their goals, so keep an eye out in the Money blog over the coming weeks and months.

Nationwide is cutting mortgage rates by up to 0.26% today despite the Bank of England's decision yesterday to keep its rate at 4.5%.

The building society said the reductions apply to selected two, three and five-year fixed rate deals between 80% and 95% LTV.

The changes mean it is introducing sub-5% rates for new buyers with just a 5% deposit.

Some of the new products will be available at 90% and 95% LTV but will come with a £1,499 fee.

The new rates include:

New customers moving home:reductions of up to 0.21% across two, three and five-year fixed rate products between 80% and 95% LTV, including:

• Five-year fixed rate at 95% LTV with a £999 fee is 4.99% (reduced by 0.05%)
• Two-year fixed rate at 90% LTV with no fee is 4.99% (reduced by 0.21%)
• Five-year fixed rate at 90% LTV with a £999 fee is 4.57% (reduced by 0.10%)
• Two-year fixed rate at 80% LTV with a £999 fee is 4.49% (reduced by 0.10%)

First-time buyers:reductions of up to 0.26% across two, three and five-year fixed rate products between 80% and 95% LTV, including:

• Five-year fixed rate at 95% LTV with a £999 fee is 5.04% (reduced by 0.25%)
• Two-year fixed rate at 95% LTV with no fee is 5.3% (reduced by 0.26%)
• Two-year fixed rate at 85% LTV with a £999 fee is 4.6% (reduced by 0.04%)

You can read more about the current market for first time buyers in this week's Mortgage Guide, which you can find by scrolling down...

An Essex commuter town with a rich cultural offering and excellent state schools has been crowned the best place to live in the UK.

Saffron Walden has been praised for its "knockout" good looks and exploding foodie scene in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.

Judges at the news outlet judged locations on a number of factors including schools, transport links, broadband speeds, culture, access to green spaces and their high street.

They felt that Saffron Walden was reinventing the high street for the 21st century, with a combination of chains and independent shops.

According to the guide compilers, locals said the town's Saturday market is like being in the south of France.

Locations on this year's list come in all shapes and sizes, from the island of Tiree in Scotland and the remote Welsh village of Maenclochog to suburbs of big, lively cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and London.

Here you can see all the places that were named...

The guide also released a list of regional winners...

All flights to and from London Heathrow have been cancelled today due to a fire at a nearby electricity substation.

Passengers are being warned to stay away, with more than 1,300 journeys expected to be cancelled.

But what are the rights of passengers if their flights are delayed or cancelled?

Your rights during delays

Your flight is covered by UK law if it departs from a UK airport, arrives at a UK airport on a UK or EU airline, or arrives at an EU airport on a UK airline.

When it comes to significant delays, UK law says airlines must provide you with care and assistance.

Significant delays are classed as:

• More than two hours for short-haul flights of under 1,500km (932 miles)
• More than three hours for medium-haul flights of 1,500km-3,500km (932-2,175 miles)
• More than four hours for long-haul flights of over 3,500km

Here's what the law says the airline must provide you with until it is able to fly you to your destination:

• A reasonable amount of food and drink
• A means for you to communicate (often by refunding the cost of your calls)
• Accommodation, if you are re-routed the next day
• Transport to and from the accommodation (or your home, if you are able to return there)

It says this must be provided for you for however long delays last, irrespective of what has caused them.

Airlines may not always be able to arrange care and assistance for all passengers during major disruptions directly, but the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says you can organise the things listed for yourself and then claim the cost back from your airline later if you keep every receipt and do not spend more than is deemed reasonable.

In other words, don't splash out on things like alcohol and luxury hotels during your wait and expect to claim your money back later.

What are your rights if your flight is cancelled?

If your flight is cancelled, the airline must either give you a refund or book you on an alternative flight.

You can get your money back for all parts of a ticket you haven't used, the CAA says.

If you have booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, for example, you can get the full cost of the return ticket back from your airline.

"If you are a transfer passenger and you have already completed part of your journey, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point when your connecting flight is cancelled and you decide not to continue your journey," it adds.

If you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight - whether it is the next available one, or a flight at an alternative, later date.

If another airline is flying significantly sooner than yours is able to offer, you may have the right to be booked onto a rival airline's flight, but this has to be negotiated with the company.

On last-minute cancellations, Naveen Dittakavi, founder and chief executive of Next Vacay, said: "If you're already at the airport once the flight is cancelled, the best thing you can do is stay calm - you are protected against many things that might go wrong.

"Try calling the airline helpline rather than waiting to speak directly with the airport staff. The helpline is often more flexible and may provide you with an e-credit or voucher, or flexibility to change your travel dates quickly."