Wolverhampton residents have the most spare cash in the country, claims new survey
Wolverhampton has been named as the city with the most disposable income in the UK.
But the claim, by a debt-management firm that people in the city have a discretionary income of £1,094 a month, has been met with some scepticism.
The data, compiled by Trust Deed Scotland, looked at average net pay, and subtracted rent, supermarket shopping and bills, to discover where people have the most cash left over to spend on the things they really want.
Wolverhampton featured eighth in the world, with London bottom of the list with £172.51 in disposable income each month.
The data indicated the average monthly pay for someone living in the city is £1,866.67 from an approximate £28,280 salary, with £400 spent for the rent of one bedroom, £160 on utilities and £ 53.09 per week on shopping.
People in the city don't necessarily agree with the findings however, with one person claiming to have £200 free cash per month – £800 less than the survey suggests.
Lauren Findler, 22-years-old, from Wolverhampton, who works as a hairdresser, said: "No way – none of us here have got any money.
"It's cheaper to live in Wolverhampton compared to areas like Manchester and London and areas like that – rent's cheap but the shop's are still expensive.
"I have about £200 disposable income each month – you can't buy much with that can you?"
Another resident who works in advertising was also shocked at the findings.
Alan Turner, 54 , from Pattingham, said: "I'm really surprised. I wouldn't see Wolverhampton as being different to anywhere else. Maybe with local investment, in terms of JLR, may be supporting people's income,which is really good and positive in Wolverhampton.
"As you travel round to other cities, it's reasonable to eat out (in Wolverhampton) - it tends to more expensive in places like Liverpool or Birmingham so in that respect it's good. But I'm still surprised."
Ben Thompson, who works for Ikea, agreed with the findings however. The 24-year-old said: "No where's cheap but it's liveable. If you come here on Saturday night everyone's drunk, so people have got enough money to pay for booze."
Others were sceptical of the legitimacy of the findings, following the data collated from Brexit and the last general election, where polls widely suggested alternative outcomes.
Linda Brown, a 67-year-old from Wolverhampton, said: "Just think of exit polls from the last election. I'm not a great fan of surveys.
Rachael Downing, who works for the Royal Mail, added: "I wish I had disposable income. I know a lot of people on benefits and a lot of people who want jobs and can't get them and wish they could.
"I'd question the accuracy of the data, I think it's way wrong – I think they need to speak to general public and not just those with a lot of disposable income."
Other cities in the top five for disposable income include Nottingham, Plymouth, Derby and Cardiff.
