South-east offers best quality of life, study concludes

31 2008
People living in the south-east of England and in Greater London enjoy a higher quality of life than those living elsewhere in the country.

According to the latest Halifax Quality of Life Survey for Counties, apart from the Vale of Glamorgan, all of the top ten counties in the UK are in the south-east, Greater London or the East of England.

Furthermore, 22 of the top 30 are in the south of England, with a number of factors making such regions attractive to both renters and buyers.

Houses in the south tend to be, on average, larger; people can enjoy longer hours of sunshine per week and are generally better educated, the study concluded.

Buckinghamshire, which is popular with Brits who choose to rent away from central London, came out of top.

Martin Ellis, Chief Economist at Halifax, commented: "People living in Buckinghamshire have the highest quality of life amongst all the counties in Great Britain. Average house prices in the county, however, trade at a premium of £21,500 to the South East region; so there is a price for reaping the benefits of living in Buckinghamshire."ADNFCR-1219-ID-18529177-ADNFCR

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