Research undertaken by the Halifax into quality of life may be of interest to IHBC members involved in urban development and regeneration as the research looks at the quality of urban environments and overall community wellbeing, with the top place to live being Hart in Hampshire.
The following extracts are from the Halifax Quality of Life Survey:
- Six of the ten areas with the lowest CO2 emissions are in London.
- Adults (16 and over) in Antrim in Northern Ireland have the highest average rating for life satisfaction in the UK
- The biggest homes are in Uttlesford in Essex, Chiltern, South Buckinghamshire and Rutland which all have an average of 6.4 habitable rooms
- The Western Isles and Highlands takes the top spot for lowest population density, with just nine people per square kilometre, compared to a UK average of 264.
- Employment is highest in Eden in Cumbria at 87.0%, ahead of Dacorum in Hertfordshire (85.4%) and North Dorset (85.2%). The UK average is 71.9%.
- The best GCSE results in England are in South Tyneside where 93.0% of pupils achieved five or more GCSE grades A-C followed by Bromley (92.9%), Slough (92.5%) and Kensington and Chelsea (92.1%). All are above the UK average of 82.4%.
- The healthiest districts are all in the South, with Hart, Wokingham and Isles of Scilly all having 97% or more households rating themselves in good or fairly good health. Seven of the top ten areas are found in the South East, with the remaining found in the East of England (2), and Scotland (1). In the UK as a whole 94.6% of households rate themselves as in good or fairly good health.
- 100% of homes in East Ayrshire have central heating; the national average is 96%.
- the sunniest place in the UK is the Isle of Wight where residents enjoy an average of 36.9 hours of sunshine a week.
