It can’t be true, surely?
Newry and Armagh have been rated as the second and third worst cities anywhere in the UK to raise your children.
It’s hardly a badge of honour, but the findings of a comprehensive survey have been getting shared widely on social media, a source of both amusement and disdain.
The study has been conducted by MoneySuperMarket, which unveiled the outcome this week.
Experts have been comprehensively gathering data on 35 cities right across the UK.
The idea was to determine the best and worst cities in which to bring up your children.
Information pulled together included average house prices. Also having a bearing on the tables were the amenities and green spaces available, school league tables and crime rates.
And the average earnings per household were included too to give a broad idea of the good and the not so good.
London was deemed to be the worst city for raising children based on the collective information amassed.
And how lucky we are to have two cities within the same parliamentary constituency – Newry and Armagh – capturing second and third!
These were the only two in Northern Ireland.
Fourth place was Leeds, following by Bradford in fifth, Sheffield, sixth, Glasgow, seventh, Kingston-Upon-Hull, eighth, Brighton and Hove, in ninth place and, lastly, Birmingham, tenth.
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne topped the list for best cities, followed by Derby, in second, third Wolverhampton, fourth Southampton, fifth Bath, sixth Nottingham, seventh Coventry, eighth York, ninth Oxford, and Portsmouth in tenth place.
A MoneysuperMarket spokeswoman told the Telegraph newspaper: “The Family Living Index was created to guide parents – or soon to be parents – looking to futureproof their next move.
“As well as choosing where to raise their families, moving home is also a key life-stage decision, and is one of the most common moments for couples to take out life insurance to protect their family financially should anything.”
