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East Hertfordshire has been named the best place to live in the UK, according to the Halifax Quality of Life survey 2020.
Hailed for its popular market towns, high life expectancy, excellent health and happiness scores, and high average earnings, East Hertfordshire in East England is the UK’s top spot for people to move to.
Taking the second spot is Fareham, followed closely by Hart, Horsham and Maldon — all areas in the South East of England. In fact, 18 local authorities in the South East of England secured spots in Halifax’s top 50 best places to live report.
Factors relating to wellbeing played a significant role in the final rankings. Hertfordshire, Fareham, and Hart all scored highly on general health and happiness, while residents in East Hertfordshire and Hart have a longer life expectancy than other areas.
The annual research analyses local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales, taking into consideration the 26 factors that homebuyers look for when choosing a place to live.
For the first time, the research also took into account how important the survey factors are to people looking to find the perfect home. From affordability to safety and the number of green spaces, Halifax found these are all vital when Brits search for a new home.
‘With bustling market towns and picturesque countryside, East Hertfordshire has topped the table thanks to high life expectancy, good schools and health and happiness scores, with high average earnings,’ says Russell Galley, Managing Director at Halifax.
‘Everyone has different priorities when it comes to choosing a place to live, depending on time of life, and personal circumstances. Affordability will always be one of the most important factors, with getting a foot on the property ladder still difficult for some people.’
What makes East Hertfordshire the best place to live?
• Residents feel fit and well with more than nine in 10 (97%) reporting good or fairly good health.
• It has the 12th highest weekly earnings of any local authority across England, Scotland and Wales.
• The latest ONS figures indicate adults living in East Hertfordshire are amongst the most happy and content in the UK with high life expectancies.
• Schools in the area also achieve excellent exam results (73.3% achieving grade 9- 4 in English & Mathematics).
20 best places to live in the UK
- East Hertfordshire, East of England
- Fareham, South East
- Hart, South East
- Horsham, South East
- Maldon, East of England
- Selby, Yorkshire and The Humber
- Hambleton, Yorkshire and The Humber
- Babergh, East of England
- St Edmundsbury, East of England
- Wokingham, South East
- Ryedale, Yorkshire and The Humber
- South Derbyshire, East Midlands
- South Cambridgeshire, East of England
- Tonbridge and Malling, South East
- Rugby, West Midlands
- Runnymede, South East
- Wychavon, West Midlands
- Orkney Islands, Scotland
- Woking, South East
- Warwick, West Midlands
Happiness
Residents in Ribble Valley in the North West are the happiest in the UK, scoring an average of 8.3 (compared to the UK average of 7.6).
Lowest burglary rate
Orkney in Scotland has the lowest burglary rate, with a score of 3.2 per 10,000 people.
Qualifications
The City of London has the highest level of qualifications, scoring 90.6% (compared to the UK average of 29.9%). This includes graduate and post postgraduate degrees, NVQ level 4 and above, and professional qualifications.
Rainfall
Looking to live somewhere without much rain? Halifax’s report discovered that Castle Point in the East of England has the least rainfall in the country, with 525mm per year. If you want somewhere sunnier, then the Isle of Wight is just for you. This sunny island has 36.9 hours of weekly sunshine. This is above the weekly average of 29.7 hours per week.
Highest percentage of residence in good health
Hart in the South East has the highest percentage of residents in good health, scoring 97.4% compared to the UK average of 94.6%.
Life satisfaction
Flyde in the North West is the best place to live for overall life satisfaction, scoring 8.5 out of 10. This is relatively higher than the UK average of 7.8.
Anxiety
The annual report also highlighted the areas with the lowest levels of anxiety. Fareham in the South East scored the best, with its residents feeling less anxious than other areas. They scored 1.8, compared to the UK average of 2.8.
Largest houses
The area found to have the largest houses is Fermanagh & Omagh in Northern Ireland — perfect if you’re looking to move somewhere with more space.
Employment and wages
Orkney in Scotland has the highest level of employment, the study found, while residents in Kensington and Chelsea, London have the highest gross weekly earnings of £1,530.
Broadband
If you regularly work from home, you’re probably going to be on the hunt for an area with strong Wi-Fi. The Halifax report found that Luton in the East of England has the most number of premises with Ultra-Fast broadband (95%), compared to the UK’s average of 47.5%.
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