Shropshire Star

Residents of Buckinghamshire have the best quality of life among all counties in Great Britain, according to a study.

In a survey from Halifax, residents of Buckinghamshire are not just the healthiest but they also have the highest life expectancy rates (80 years for newborns).

The average annual salary is £40,000, houses in the area are larger than average with 6.1 rooms, GCSE results are above average and Buckinghamshire even sees slightly more sunshine per week (28.7 hours) than the average for other counties (27.7) in the survey.

Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax, said: “People living in Buckinghamshire have the highest quality of life amongst 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.”

The survey looks at key indicators of the labour market, the housing market, the environment, education and health.

Not all the counties in the top 30 are the most expensive areas to live in – half of the counties have average house prices that are below the regional average, the survey found.

“These counties provide the potential for good value with a combination of relatively low prices and high quality of life,” Mr Ellis added.

Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Berkshire are the top three ranked counties by quality of life, but they do not have the most expensive properties.

Average house price in Buckinghamshire in 2007 was £313,644; 25th most expensive county in the quality of life survey.

Surrey is the 14th most expensive county; whilst Berkshire is 24th. Kensington and Chelsea is the most expensive – and unsurprisingly, the 13 most expensive areas are all in London.