Oldham is one of the best places in the country to raise a family based on childcare costs and home affordability, a new study has found.

The borough has been ranked in the top three as one of the UK's most family-friendly towns due to its proximity to green spaces, low childcare costs and affordable homes.

However, it isn't the safest or the best place in terms of education when compared to the rest of the country.

The research comes as Money Supermarket examined a range of factors to determine the best places to raise a family, from home affordability, the cost of childcare, crime rates, safety and outstanding schools to the number of family-friendly restaurants and days out.

Each location was scored on their performance in each category and overall scores were totalled to give an overall family-friendly score.

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In the top five across the country, Oldham came second with a family-friendly score of 89.6 out of 100.

Bagging the top spot, however, was another North West town - Preston - which scored 90.3 out of 100.

This is based on the fact that Preston is home to some of the country's cheapest childcare costs and generally had a solid performance across most major categories, including its ample local parks and surrounding Lancashire countryside.

Oldham shared many of the same high-scoring factors, what with being on the doorstep of the Peak District National Park and similarly having low childcare costs and affordable homes.

Worcester in the West Midlands only narrowly came behind Oldham with a score of 89.3 followed by the South East towns, Southampton (89) and Hastings (86.3).

The borough also scored well for having many family-friendly dining options - research which has only recently been corroborated by a separate study which crowned Oldham as the top spot for alfresco dining in the country.

However, Bury had the most child-friendly restaurants with 92.3 establishments per 10,000 people, followed by Walsall with 84.6 while Oldham has 76.8.

However, city-wise, Wakefield, Bolton and Preston were ranked as the top three for affordable childcare.

Wakefield in Yorkshire and Humber has an average cost of £480 per month for childcare - less than half of the national average of £946.

Meanwhile, both Bolton and Preston has an average monthly cost of £500, though the study recognised Preston has a lower average salary, making childcare slightly less affordable at a monthly income-to-cost ratio of 5.8.

To compare, the study found childcare in Oldham comes with a slightly higher childcare cost average of £683.

When it came to the safest places to raise a family, Money Supermarket found Woking, Exeter and Plymouth to be the best.

Here, the researchers looked at the number of crimes reported per capita and found Woking was the safest with an overall crime rate of 58 crimes per 1,000 people in 2022.

Oldham scored comparatively poorer when it came to safety, with an overall crime rate of 126 crimes per 1,000 people - more than double that of Woking.

St Albans, Brighton and Luton were also recognised as the top places for having the best-performing schools with an excellent rating by Ofsted.

Meanwhile, Bedford, Bath and Shrewsbury were crowned the best for family days out and attractions.

Ashton Berkhauer, personal finance expert at Money Supermarket, said: “While affordability is likely the overriding factor when it comes to buying your first home, there are other considerations that come into play when deciding where to raise a family - or where to retire for that matter.

“While house prices will still play a key role, being close to good schools and local amenities will likely have more of a sway when deciding on a location, as well other things such as proximity to family and friends who might be able to help with reducing the reliance on professional childcare.

“No matter what your house-hunting priorities are, it’s always a good idea to shop around and compare mortgage deals to make sure you’re getting the best deal for you and your individual needs.”

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.