To relocate from the south east up north??

[BadgerLovesMash]

Just to start I have never moved away from where I grew up so this would be huge!! But now after having our landlord decide to sell our home again (5th time in 12 years this has happened to us!) We are seriously considering moving somewhere cheaper. But some things making me wonder whether we should.

We currently live just outside of Brighton so are very used to easy and cheap public transport which is vital as we don't drive.

Our daughters are 14 and 10, so 1 heading into GCSE years and the other just about to start secondary school.

We have a good support network of friends and family here. All the girls friends are here.

However we are both on minimum wage. DH works for a company that would let him change locations. I work in childcare so could find another job in that field (I was looking to change anyway as no longer need term time once dd2 starts secondary and theres no chance of increased hours where i am) so financially we would be significantly better off.

For reference our current rent for a 3 bed is £1500 per month and this is cheap, others in this area are closer to £1800. I was looking at Grimsby and for a similar sized 3 bed it is £515. But that is 5hrs on the train from here!

So has anyone done this and what are the pros and cons?

Oh and this is all quite outing if you know me! 🤣

I think it might hard on your eldest though maybe wait until post GCSE and think about college up North.

Goldenbear

I saw The Fresh Prince aka Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff, and The Strokes (all the way from New York) amongst others, perform at an open air concert in Blackpool a few years back - beat that 🙌 🎤

Listen, I bloody love Blackpool for what it is - and Brighton - but I wouldn’t want to live in either places 🤷‍♀️

If you're thinking NE, I'd be thinking more Hull way - Hessle, Nottingham, Anlaby, all nice areas (and it's not grim in Hull despite what people say!)

Very cheap living and Hull is a great night out! i lived in Hull for 6 years, did sixth form there. Really miss it tbh and would move back n in a heartbeat. Beverley is also fab and in your budget.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132193343#/?channel=RES_LET

Oh and as someone who lived in Hull, I really really wouldn't live in Grimsby!!!

No. Not when your DC are at that age, and not when you have no friends or family up north. It’s not as cheap as it once was; you’d be mad to do this and wouldn’t even save much money.

Move to a cheaper part of Sussex by all means, and make sure your names are on the council house waiting list, but no- you’d be miserable being so far away from your support network, and on two min wage jobs you wouldn’t be able to afford to regularly travel back either.

www.newlandschool.co.uk

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132160430#/?channel=RES_LET

This house in a not terrible area - right near to Newland Girls school which is amazing (see their website) and Wyke Sixth Form college (also amazing)

I would focus on Cottingham (Really it auto correct to Nottingham ffs!) area, honestly you couldn't go wrong. It's lovely.

If you want any more info, please feel free to pm!

I've lived in Brighton and London and now I live in the frozen wasteland that is Yorkshire. I prefer Yorkshire. To all those people saying that housing costs are comparable-they're really not. Yes, rents are high in some cities but you have a lot of options in the north (suburbs, market towns, villages) that makes it a lot more affordable because there is a real difference in rent prices. And what is the point of the OP being so close to London when she can't even afford to visit it?

I currently pay £1000 a month in rent which is ridiculous. But that's for a 2 bed house in the best part of the city I currently live in. £1000 would get me a one-bed flat in a really awful part of London or Brighton.

It's Hyacinth Bouqet 😉

Wow, your attitude is really astounding, I really hope you don't talk down to people like this in real life and you haven't passed these outdated opinions down to your children.

You are the one here lacking in understanding. You look down on others, judging them as they don't have the same aspirations as you. Not all of us measure our success based on money or social class.

I may be working class, but I have plenty of choice in my life. I chose a lower paid career that I do out of love and I enjoy. I could have pursued a higher paid one but I chose family life, being around for the school pick ups, events and school holidays. I have job satisfaction knowing I am appreciated and I am making a difference in the lives of the children I look after.

Life is about good memories and happiness, I have these. I have had more opportunities than most in this world and I am grateful for that.

Goldenbear · Today 19:47
Most knife crime is in the North

Is it? I live in a city here and haven’t heard of that at all.

OP- ignore her, you sound like loving parents whose children appreciate the small things in life, something which is rare nowadays.

The OP has said she isn’t moving so perhaps people still suggesting places could read the OP’s replies before commenting further.

I wish you and your family well, OP.

Having been brought up in Yorkshire but living in Ireland, its good to see the North South antagonism is still alive and well.
There are some very disadvantaged areas in the North but also some fantastic areas where you can afford to live, bring up your family, have a social life and access good services. I was brought up in Skipton which is always on the top of lists of the best places to raise a family in the whole of the Country. I would never live in the South of England and I'm not quite sure why. It just seems to be ingrained in me.
I would always say the North is better, but at your stage of family life I wouldn't do it. Just too disruptive for the children.
And just not Grimsby. It takes a special person to live there and a newbie from Brighton is probably not going to be that person.

Just seen that you are staying put. Good luck. And ignore the poster yapping on about you not having any choices. I thought post covid we had moved on from all that crap and actually appreciated people who chose to do some of the caring roles in society or prioritise family and human connections above a manic push to earn money. Maybe you really are a northerner and didn't know it😂

Actually the north east is drier not wetter. Its recognised that the west is wetter than the east due to prevailing winds.

Seems we all agree - Grimsby is not Brighton 2.0

West midlands is the highest (ONS)

No the highest knife crime is in the west midlands (house of commons library)

House of Commons library??

@chopc

and yet on another thread your describe yourself as being a “part time” “low paid health care professional”

Yes, but following on from the West Midlands which is very much North of Brighton, the hotspots are as listed by NorthStarRising.

Goldenbear · Yesterday 21:01
Justforlaffs, 'Blackpool of the south', yes of course it is, reflected in the comparative price to live here?! It is literally London prices by the sea! Well 'proper Brighton' is. Last minute my DH and I went to the comedy night with Ed Gamble, Ivo Graham, etcbasically TV comedians all in one venue for the night, last summer we walked 5 minutes to our local park and it was a comedy festival with similar names. We made the decision at 5.30 and it started at 7.30 just because we can and it is Brighton. Are you seriously suggesting that is akin to the offerings of Blackpool“

Have you visited Lytham Festival? 5 miles or so from Blackpool. Lowther Pavilion? Blackpool Grand/Winter Gardens? They have musical artists, those comedians you mention and many more.
Why it’s called “touring” 😁
You'd have to be pretty well heeled to afford Lytham Festival, though. And accommodation is very expensive.

I really don’t understand all the weather comments. I have lived in the south and the north and it is really not that big a difference- today I am sitting in my house in Yorkshire and it is 6 degrees. The temperature in London and Brighton is also 6 degrees.
I have numerous relatives on the south coast and the temperature is often higher here than there. So it’s just silly to let the weather dictate this decision.

Sorry just seen you are not moving.
ignore silly classist comments. I have made similar life choices to you and actually pity people who feel so much pressure to meet certain ‘standards’

Utter bullshit. Hull is actually lovely (apart from Bransholme!)

Some fabulous villages to the west of Hull.

@cassiatwenty , she was Hyacinth Bucket but she said it as Hyacinth Bouquet
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_Bucket