Uttlesford takes the crown as Britain s best rural area to live

Uttlesford takes the crown as Britain s best rural area to live The Halifax Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey tracks where living standards are highest in Great Britain by ranking local performance across key indicators covering the labour market, the housing market, the environment, education and health. The survey examines all 119 rural local authority districts and is based on data at local authority district (LAD) level. Data has been gathered from a number of sources, including Halifax, Point Topic (Broadband data), ONS, DEFRA, the Met Office, the Department for Transport, Department of Children, Schools and Families, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Executive. Residents of Uttlesford in Essex enjoy the best quality of life of any rural area in Great Britain, according to the 2014 Halifax Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey. With last year s winner Waverley dropping back to third in 2014, Uttlesford tops the annual survey with South Northamptonshire taking second spot. The annual Halifax Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey takes a wide range of factors into account, including residents' health and life expectancy, crime rate, weather, employment, school results, broadband access, and personal wellbeing. This is the first time Uttlesford has come top, although prior to this the Essex District had made the top five on three separate occasions, coming second in 2013, third in 2011, and fourth in 2010. Why Uttlesford is the best rural area to live Nestled in the North West corner of Essex, Uttlesford is a relatively new district having only been formed in 1974 following the merger of the boroughs of Saffron Walden, Dunmow Rural District and Saffron Walden Rural District. Today it is perhaps best known as home to Stansted Airport. Uttlesford residents are comparatively wealthy, with average weekly earnings of 819 and an employment rate of 84% well above the national average of 608 and 74.4% respectively. While 96.7% of residents report to be in general good health, they can also look forward to a life expectancy of 81.8 years. However, the average house price in the area is 7 times local annual gross earnings, which is above the average rural house price to earnings ratio for all rural areas of 6.2. 1

Craig McKinlay, Halifax Mortgage Director, said: "Uttlesford has consistently reported positive scores across a wide range of indicators for a number of years. And taking a wide range of economic and social factors into account residents here can now lay claim to having the highest standard of living in rural Britain. In terms of personal well being and general good health, Uttlesford residents score among the highest in Great Britain. And while house prices relative to earnings are above the rural average, Uttlesford still performs strongly in terms of average weekly earnings and a high employment rate. East of England, East Midlands and South East offer best rural quality of life The Halifax Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey 2014 found the best rural areas to live are dominated by the East of England, and the South East. The East of England and East Midlands secure three of the top 10 local authority districts (LADs), with the South East scooping four. Taking the top 50 LADs as a whole this pattern continues, with the South East taking 15 spots, the East of England represented 12 times, and the East Midlands securing nine places. The remaining LADs in the top 50 are from the South West (seven), Yorkshire and the Humber (three), and the West Midlands (two) and Scotland (two). North-South divide Rural areas in the South tend to receive stronger ratings for factors such as employment, earnings, health, and weather. Whereas rural LADs in the North typically perform better on school exam results and lower house price to earnings ratios. They also tend to perform best on environmental measures such as low population densities and traffic flows. However, it seems that in terms of personal wellbeing the split is more even, with no real difference in terms of general life satisfaction and happiness. Key Facts Labour Market Employment is highest in South Northamptonshire (88.9%) in the followed by Uttlesford in the East of England and West Dorset in the South West (both 84%). Average earnings remain highest in the South East, with Chiltern ( 926 per week) and Waverley ( 902) taking the top two spots, ahead of East Hertfordshire ( 825) in the East of England. 2

The proportion of adults (16 years and over) with the highest level of qualification gained (such as a degree, NVQ level 4 and above or professional qualification) is the highest in Chiltern (55.0%), followed by Waverley and Rushcliffe (both 54.0%). Housing In terms of the biggest homes there was no change from 2012, where average homes in Chiltern (South East), Uttlesford (East of England) and Rutland (East Midlands) all have 6.4 rooms. The most affordable rural LAD for residential property is Copeland in the North West, with an average house price to annual gross earnings ratio of 3.3, ahead of East Ayrshire (3.6) and Western Isles (3.9) in Scotland. The LAD with the best broadband is Chiltern in the South East, where 92% of households have a good level of broadband access (i.e. a minimum download speed of 2Mbps), ahead of North West Leicestershire in the East Midlands (91%). Urban Environment The lowest burglary rate per 10,000 households is found in the Orkney Islands (1.0) in Scotland, ahead of the Western Isles (5.4) and North Norfolk (7.3). Traffic flows are lowest on Western Isles. In fact the top six districts and eight of the ten best ranked districts on this measure are found in Scotland. The lowest areas of population density in Britain are also to be found in Scotland, with the top seven districts and eight of the top ten ranked districts on this measure. Western Isles has just nine people per square km. At the other end of this scale Thanet, in the South East, has the highest density for a rural LAD with1,313 people per square km. There is a 12 way tie for the LAD with the lowest per person CO 2 emissions per person (all 1.9), although five of these are found in the East Midlands. Physical Environment The lowest average annual rainfall is in Maldon (552mm) in Essex. The six driest districts in Great Britain are found in the East of England. The sunniest place in Great Britain is the Isle of Wight, where residents enjoy an average of 37.4 hours of sunshine a week. The top five sunniest districts in Great Britain are all in the South East. 3

Health Residents of East Dorset (82.9 years) have the highest life expectancy in Great Britain, ahead of South Cambridgeshire (82.8 years). Four out of the top ten areas on this measure are found in the South East and four are in the East of England. However, good health scores are highest in Chiltern, West Berkshire, and South Cambridgeshire, and Aberdeenshire, where 96.8% of households rate themselves in good, or fairly good health. However, five of the top ten LADs in this category are in the South East. Education Primary school class sizes are smallest in Scotland, with eight of the top ten districts. Western Isles has an average of just 16 pupils per class. The best GCSE results in England are found in Craven in Yorkshire & the Humber where 94.6% of 15 to 16 year olds achieved five or more GCSE results Grade A-C. In Wales, pupils in Ceredigion had the best GCSE results (71.0%). In Scotland, the highest results for 16 year olds gaining five or more awards at SCQF level 4 are in the Orkney Islands and Shetland isles (both 86.7%). Personal Well-Being Personal well-being is based on four categories life satisfaction, worthwhile, happiness and anxiety: Based on a score out of ten, adults (16 and over) in the Shetland Islands have the highest average rating for life satisfaction (8.04). With a rating of 8.39 (out of ten) adults in Uttlesford believe what they do in life is worthwhile. The happiest adults are in Orkney Islands, with an average rating of 8.01. Adults in Bassetlaw and South Holland are the least anxious with an average rating of 2.16 (out of ten), followed by Dumfries and Galloway (2.22). Table 1: Quality of Life Rankings 2014 the top 50 rural areas based on annual data from 2013 Local Authority District Region Ranking Uttlesford East of England 1 South Northamptonshire East Midlands 2 Waverley South East 3 East Hertfordshire East of England 4 Rushcliffe East Midlands 5 4

South Cambridgeshire East of England 6 Vale of White Horse South East 7 Chiltern South East 8 Mid Sussex South East 9 South Kesteven East Midlands 10 North Kesteven East Midlands 11 Rutland East Midlands 12 East Cambridgeshire East of England 13 East Hampshire South East 14 Maldon East of England 15 South Norfolk East of England 16 Melton East Midlands 17 Mid Suffolk East of England 18 St Edmundsbury East of England 19 Malvern Hills West Midlands 20 Aylesbury Vale South East 21 Test Valley South East 22 Ryedale Yorkshire and the Humber 23 Orkney Islands Scotland 24 New Forest South East 25 West Dorset South West 26 Tonbridge and Malling South East 27 South Oxfordshire South East 28 Hambleton Yorkshire and The Humber 29 Broadland East of England 30 North Dorset South West 31 Harborough East Midlands 32 Selby Yorkshire and the Humber 33 Cotswold South West 34 5

North West Leicestershire East Midlands 35 West Berkshire South East 36 Wychavon West Midlands 37 Tewkesbury South West 38 West Oxfordshire South East 39 Suffolk Coastal East of England 40 Babergh East of England 41 Wiltshire South West 42 Shetland Islands Scotland 43 Huntingdonshire East of England 44 East Dorset South West 45 Cherwell South East 46 Wealden South East 47 Tandridge South East 48 Newark and Sherwood East Midlands 49 East Devon South West 50 Source: Halifax Table 2: Rural areas with the Best Quality of Life in each region, 2014 Region Local Authority District Ranking East of England Uttlesford 1 East Midlands South Northamptonshire 2 South East Waverley 3 West Midlands Malvern Hills 20 Yorkshire and The Humber Ryedale 23 Scotland Orkney Islands 24 South West West Dorset 26 North East Northumberland 63 North West Ribble Valley 65 Wales Monmouthshire 70 Source: Halifax 6

Table 3: Rural Areas with the Best Quality of Life in each category, 2014 Variable Local Authority District Region Highest employment rate: 88.9% South Northamptonshire East Midlands Highest gross weekly Earnings: 926 Chiltern South East Qualifications 16+: 55% Chiltern South East Highest average number of rooms in house: 6.4 Chiltern Uttlesford Rutland South East East of England East Midlands Largest % of houses with central heating and bathroom 100% East Ayrshire Scotland Lowest House prices to Earnings ratio: 3.3 Copeland North West % of households with good level of broadband access (i.e. a minimum download speed of 2Mbps): 92% Chiltern South East Lowest Population density per sq km: 9 Western Isles Scotland Lowest traffic flows per square km: 65 cars /km Western Isles Scotland Lowest burglary rate per 10,000 population: 1 per 10,000 people Orkney Islands Scotland Lowest Domestic CO 2 Emissions: 1.9 per person St Edmundsbury, South Derbyshire, Shepway, East Staffordshire, South Holland, North Kesteven, East Cambridgeshire, East Northamptonshire, Waveney, Tewkesbury, South Kesteven, Thanet East of England, South East, West Midlands, East of England, East of England, South West, South East Lowest average annual rainfall: 552 mm Maldon East of England Highest average weekly sunshine hours: 37.4 hours Isle of Wight South East Highest % of residents in good health: 96.8% South Cambridgeshire, Chiltern, West Berkshire, Aberdeenshire East of England, South East, South East, Scotland Longest life expectancy at birth: 82.9 years East Dorset South West Lowest average number of pupils in primary school class:16 Western Isles Scotland 7

GCSE: 94.6 Craven Yorkshire & The Humber Life satisfaction: 8.04 Shetland Isles Scotland Worthwhile: 8.39 Uttlesford East of England Happiness: 8.01 Orkney Islands Scotland Anxiety: 2.16 Bassetlaw, South Holland East Midlands Source: Halifax Editors' Notes: The Quality of Life index aims to quantify where living standards are highest in Great Britain by ranking local performance across a range of indicators, including the labour market, the housing market, the environment, education and health. The index has been produced at a local authority level for 119 rural LADs in Great Britain. The number of local authority districts has fallen from 140 in the 2010 survey as a result of structural changes to local governments in April 2009, when a number of new unitary authorities were created by amalgamating district councils. The quality of life reading for each local authority district has been created by summing scores across 21 variables within seven broad groups. Each local authority district is given a score out of ten for each variable contained in the index. Scores within each of the broad groups are averaged and then the six group scores are summed to create an overall quality of life score. This analysis was undertaken using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Urban Rural classification. This classification defines an area as a Rural Area if it lies in a town or village of less than 10,000, or as an urban area if it lies in a town or city of 10,000 or more residents. A rural local authority district is one where the majority of these residents live in rural areas. See separate technical note for more information on methodology of index and data sources. Group Variable Period covered Labour Employment rate % Jul 2012-Jun 2013 Gross weekly Earnings s April 2012 Northern Ireland (NI) April 2011, NISRA % of adults(16+) with highest 2011 Census data qualification gained Housing Number of rooms in house England & Wales 2011 ONS Census Data Scotland Housing Conditions Survey 2008/10 % of houses with central heating and sole use of bathroom England & Wales 2011 ONS Census Data Scotland housing Conditions Survey 2008/10 NI Halifax Data to 12 months to October 2011. House prices to Earnings ratio 12 months to November 2013 8

Households with a good level of Point Topic December 2012 broadband access (i.e. a download speed of at least 2Mbps): Urban environment Population density per square km 2012 ONS; 2012 for Northern Ireland Traffic flows per square km 2012 Burglary rate per 10,000 population 2011/12 NI 2010/11 CO 2 Emissions per tonne per capita 2012 Department of Energy and Climate Change (covers period 2005-2011) Physical environment Average annual rainfall mm Average 2001/2008 Annual sunshine hours Average 2001/2008 Health % in good or fairly good health 2011 Census Life expectancy at birth for males 2010/12 Education Number of pupils in primary school class 2012 England; Wales, and Northern Ireland 2011/12; Scotland 2012. 2012 England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 2011/12 % of 15yr+ olds with 5 or more GCSEs A-C grade or Scottish equivalent Personal Well-Being Life Satisfaction April 2012-March 2013 ONS Worthwhile April 2012-March 2013 ONS Happiness April 2012-March 2013 ONS Anxiety April 2012-March 2013 ONS Source: Halifax "This report is prepared from information that we believe is collated with care, however, it is only intended to highlight issues and it is not intended to be comprehensive. We reserve the right to vary our methodology and to edit or discontinue/withdraw this, or any other report. Any use of this report for an individual's own or third party commercial purposes is done entirely at the risk of the person making such use and solely the responsibility of the person or persons making such reliance." Ends For further information please contact Helpline No: 08456 045404 Email: housingeconomics@lloydsbanking.com 9