Rutland is the best rural place to live in Britain, according to a survey on national wellbeing.
The county came top of the annual Halifax Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey, scoring highly in categories such as residents’ good health, rate of employment and weather.
Mortgages director at Halifax Craig McKinlay said Rutland residents could lay claim to having the highest standard of living in rural Britain.
“In terms of personal wellbeing and general good health, Rutland residents score among the highest in Great Britain,” he added. “And while house prices relative to earnings are above the rural average, Rutland still performs strongly in terms of average weekly earnings and a high employment rate.”
More than 96 per cent of residents reported good or fairly good health, while weekly earnings averaged £626. Rutland also has one of the lowest crime rates in the country, less rainfall per year than the national average and an adult population which is among the happpiest, most satisfied and content in Britain, according to the survey
But average house prices in Rutland are 6.7 times the average annual pre-tax local income, compared to the national average of 6.2.
Chiltern in Buckinghamshire was named as the second most desirable location to live, followed by Uttlesford in Essex.
South Kesteven was voted 14th best rural place to live.
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The full top 50 is:
1. Rutland, East Midlands
2. Chiltern, South East
3. Uttlesford, East of England
4. South Northamptonshire, East Midlands
5. Rushcliffe, East Midlands
6. Waverley, South East
7. South Cambridgeshire, East of England
8. Mid Sussex, South East
9. Huntingdonshire, East of England
10. South Oxfordshire, South East
11. Babergh, East of England
12. East Hertfordshire, East of England
13. West Oxfordshire, South East
14. South Kesteven, East Midlands
15. East Cambridgeshire, East of England
16. North Kesteven, East Midlands
17. Aylesbury Vale, South East
18. Tonbridge and Malling, South East
19. Wealden, South East
20. Mid Suffolk, East of England
21. Orkney Islands, Scotland
22. Hambleton, Yorkshire and The Humber
23. Richmondshire, Yorkshire and The Humber
24. Selby, Yorkshire and The Humber
25. Malvern Hills, West Midlands
26. Harborough, East Midlands
27. New Forest, South East
28. Vale of White Horse, South East
29. Wychavon, West Midlands
30. Tewkesbury, South West
31. South Derbyshire, East Midlands
32. St Edmundsbury, East of England
33. Tandridge, South East
34. South Staffordshire, West Midlands
35. South Norfolk, East of England
36. Ryedale, Yorkshire and The Humber
37. Test Valley, South East
38. West Berkshire, South East
39. East Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber
40. Shetland Islands, Scotland
41. Cherwell, South East
42. Suffolk Coastal, East of England
43. Cotswold, South West
44. North Dorset, South West
45. Wiltshire, South West
46. Monmouthshire, Wales
47. East Dorset, South West
48. Newark and Sherwood, East Midlands
49. Aberdeenshire, Scotland
50. Herefordshire, West Midlands