Wokingham in Berkshire comes out top in best place to live survey

According to research by Halifax, Wokingham in Berkshire is the best place to live as it offers the best quality of life in Great Britain in 2007.

The annual "Halifax Quality of Life Survey" tracks where living standards are highest in Great Britain by ranking the performance of 408 local authorities according to indicators that influence the quality of life: employment, earnings, housing market, environment, education and health.

Results from this year's survey show that Wokingham Borough residents are the healthiest in the nation, with 95% in "good" or "fairly good" health, and that a baby born in Wokingham today can expect to live until 80 years old (one of the highest life expectancies in the country).

Furthermore, Wokingham inhabitants are amongst Britain's top 5% earners and benefit from an hour and a half more sunshine every week than the national average. GCSE results are also above average.

Other factors taken into account by researchers were lower than average crime rate, weather and carbon emissions, resulting in Wokingham offering the best quality of life in the country - up from third place in the rankings last year.

And it is not just Wokingham that offers quality living. The Halifax survey shows that within the top 30 local authorities with the best quality of life, 22 are located in the South East of England (see Table 1 below).

"Location, Location, Location" on Channel 4 also confirmed that there are many great areas to live in the South East. Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp recently produced their own league table, in which 9 places from the South East of England came in the top 20 best places to live in the UK: 1 in Hampshire, 7 in Surrey and 1 in Berkshire: Wokingham (see Table 2 below).

So if you are considering a move to any of these locations, then well done for making a good choice. Let me know if Chez-Vous can help with your relocation!


Table 1

Quality of Life Rankings: The Top 30 Local Authorities (Region)

1. Wokingham (South East)
2. South Buckinghamshire (South East)
3. Chiltern (South East)
4. Surrey Heath (South East)
5. Hart (South East)
6. Elmbridge (South East)
7. Waverley (South East)
8. Tandridge (South East)
9. Wycombe (South East)
10. West Berkshire (South East)
11. South Cambridgeshire (East of England)
12. St Albans (East of England)
13. Rutland (East Midlands)
14. Mid Suffolk (East of England)
15. East Hertfordshire (East of England)
16. Mole Valley (South East)
17. Uttlesford (East of England)
18. Vale of White Horse (South East)
19. Horsham (South East)
20. Guildford (South East)
21. West Oxfordshire (South East)
22. Mid Sussex (South East)
23. Aylesbury Vale (South East)
24. Blaby ( East Midlands)
25. Winchester (South East)
26. Windsor & Maidenhead (South East)
27. Bracknell Forest (South East)
28. Three Rivers (East of England)
29. Fareham (South East)
30. Sevenoaks (South East)

Source: Halifax


Table 2

20 Best Places to Live 2007

1. Edinburgh
2. Winchester (Hampshire)
3. Epsom & Ewell (Surrey)
4. Waverley (Surrey)
5. Mole Valley (Surrey)
6. Surrey Heath (Surrey)
7. South Cambridgeshire
8. Chelmsford
9. Horsham
10. Elmbridge (Surrey)
11. East Dunbartonshire
12. Guildford (Surrey)
13. St. Albans
14. Rushcliffe
15. Bath & North East Somerset
16. Mid Sussex
17. Suffolk Coastal
18. South Northamptonshire
19. Reigate & Banstead (Surrey)
20. Wokingham (Berkshire)

Source: Location, Location, Location



Laurent Stadelmann
Managing Director

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