SKIPTON is once again celebrating being named one of the top places in the country to live.

The Sunday Times, which in 2014 named Skipton as overall top place to live in Britain, put it amongst the best nine towns in Yorkshire and the North East.

Town Mayor, Cllr Gordon Bell said he was proud to represent Skipton.

“It’s fantastic to be recognised, yet again, as one of the best places to live in the UK," he said.

"I spend a lot of my time, as mayor, visiting schools, businesses and community organisations – and just chatting with people in the street. You only have to look around you to see what a brilliant place Skipton is and it’s great that this continues to be recognised. I’m very proud of the town I represent, and every resident of the town should be proud too.”

Cllr Richard Foster, leader of Craven District Council, said the council would continue to work hard to make sure Skipton stayed an amazing place to live.

“It’s no surprise that Skipton consistently comes out as one of the best places to live in these surveys. With low crime rates, great schools, a buzzing high street and beautiful countryside, and of course our fantastic community spirit, the whole area is an amazing place to live, work and visit," he said.

“At Craven District Council we will all keep working hard to make sure Skipton’s reputation continues to grow and the district continues to thrive.”

Harrogate was named best location in Yorkshire for 2016, with the national winner revealed in this weekend's paper.

Skipton, in the list along with Horsforth, near Leeds, was praised for its outstanding primary and secondary schools, market, and close proximity to the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

"With cobblestones, a castle and canals, all lying in the shadow of the Dales, Skipton may just be Yorkshire’s most bucolic town, in what is a pretty crowded field," said the Sunday Times, which goes on to describe it as a deserving winner in 2014.

"The castle, one of the best preserved in the country, was a Norman foundation, and it vies with the surrounding dales for dominance over the town. The award-winning high street has more independents than chains, and market stalls four days a week."

Butchers and pork pie specialists Stanforths in Mill Bridge, and Farmhouse Fare, on the High Street, both get a mention while 'epicureans' are said to head to the Burlington Restaurant at The Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey.

The Mart Theatre at the auction mart also gets praised, as does the Skipton Little Theatre, and the average price of a four bedroom period house is put at around £450,000.

Helen Davies, Sunday Times Home Editor said: "Britain is full of great places to live, and our annual supplement celebrates the richness on offer from bustling market towns and buzzing city centres to sociable suburbs and sleepy hamlets. We go beyond dry statistics, drawing on personal experience and the expertise of our writers, to create the definitive list of the best places to live in the UK."