Regional workers happier with their lot

Cities in Wales and Scotland topped a "feel-good factor" poll of office workers, highlighting the importance of a quality working environment in keeping staff happy.

The report, by property consultant Healey & Baker, said the most important factors making up an ideal place of work, in order of importance, are:

• Ease of getting to and from work
• Career prospects
• Conveniently located offices
• Good public transport
• A clean city

The poll of around 2,400 respondents showed the Welsh capital of Cardiff moved to first place from second last year, followed by Glasgow now in second, while the Scottish capital of Edinburgh rose to third from tenth place.

"Office staff are generally more content with the cities where they work than last year," said Colin Hargreaves, head of offices at Healy and Baker. "But that does not take away from the strong vote of confidence in Cardiff, Glasgow and Edinburgh possibly prompted by national pride at the time of devolution."

The City of London came ninth, while London's West End came tenth. Newcastle, which led last year's poll, fell to 11th place, while Birmingham and Manchester were at seventh and eighth respectively.

Gary Cutlack