Buckinghamshire is top place to live in quality of life survey

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by Kay Murchie

According to the Halifax Quality of Life Survey for Counties, Buckinghamshire has been named as having the best quality of life in the UK.

Not only are the resident the healthiest but they also have the highest life expectancy rates in the UK (80 years for newborns).

Residents in the county have an average annual salary of £40,000 (equivalent to the top 5% for all counties in this survey). The majority of householders are owner-occupiers (77%), while houses are larger than average (6.1 rooms).

Furthermore, GCSE results are above average and the area sees slightly more sunshine per week (28.7 hours) than the average for other counties (27.7) in the survey.

The survey compiles data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), DEFRA, the Met Office, the Department for Transport and the Halifax house price database.

However, property prices in Buckinghamshire do not reflect its top position in the quality of life survey. The average house price in Buckinghamshire last year was £313,644, whereas the county with the second highest quality of life, Surrey, was only the 14th most expensive county.

Apart from Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, the top ten counties are all in the South East, the Welsh county is ranked 8th in the survey.

Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax, said people living in Buckinghamshire have the highest quality of life among 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.