This is according to the third annual Halifax Quality of Life Survey.
Mid Suffolk is second in the 2008 quality of life ranking, followed by Horsham, Wokingham and Hart.
Fifteen of the thirty local authorities (LAs) with the best quality of life are in the South East of England
Rutland in East Midlands has the best quality of life outside the south of England. Shetland Islands is the highest ranked area in Scotland and Monmouthshire is the highest ranked in Wales.
House prices trade at a premium to the average house price in their region in 26 of the 30 local authorities with the best quality of life. The average house price premium for the top 30 ranked areas is £64,550, or 27 per cent. In Elmbridge, the premium is £170,192 (or 67 per cent).
South Norfolk, Baberge, Rochford and St. Edmundsbury offer the best value for money property i.e. a combination of relatively low property prices and a high quality of life.
The third annual Halifax Quality of Life Survey tracks where living standards are highest in Great Britain by ranking local performance across key indicators; covering the labour market, the housing market, the environment, education and health.
The index examines data at local authority (LA) level. 408 local authorities have been analysed in this survey. Data has been gathered from sources including the ONS, DEFRA, the Met Office, the Department for Transport and the Halifax house price database
Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax, commented: “People living in Elmbridge have the best quality of life in Great Britain. Residents in this part of Surrey tend to be healthy, have high life expectancy, enjoy relatively high earnings and are highly likely to own their own home. Elmbridge also has good school results and the weather is better than the national average. Living in Elmbridge, however, comes at a price with average property prices more than £170,000 above the average for the South East.
South Norfolk, Baberge, Rochford and St. Edmundsbury are four areas that have a high quality of life combined with lower than average house prices, therefore offering good value for money housing.”
