Aberdeenshire best for life quality

Published on Friday 13 March 2009 20:52

FROM the foothills of the Cairngorms to the rich fishing towns of the Buchan coast, Aberdeenshire is today named the best rural part of Scotland in which to live.

The North-east of Scotland Council area has come out tops in a rural quality of life survey that shows that local residents live longer on average, earn more cash and perform better when they are at school.

The survey also reveals that the area has the highest employment rate in Scotland, the highest average earnings of any rural area and also enjoys one of the lowest rainfall records in the country.

The only drawback is that Aberdeenshire residents pay more for the privilege of leading a healthier and wealthier lifestyle. The average cost of a house in Aberdeenshire is 43,418 above the Scottish average of 162,691.

The Bank of Scotland survey also reveals that East Lothian has the second best quality of life, followed by the Borders, while East Ayrshire has the worst.

Residents of Aberdeenshire, are also among the healthiest in the country, having one of the highest life expectancy rates, at 77 years, for children being born now.

The majority of householders – 71 per cent – are owner-occupiers, and the houses are larger with an average of 5.4 rooms against the average of 5.2.

Secondary school results are also above average – 83 per cent gain five awards at level 5 or above, against a Scottish average of 78 per cent.

Aberdeenshire has the highest employment rate of 82.7 per cent, followed by Highland at 82 per cent and the Borders on 81.5 per cent.

Average earnings are highest at 621 per week, followed by East Lothian at 560 and the Borders on 525.

Martin Ellis, an economist at the Bank of Scotland, said: "Residents of Aberdeenshire tend to be healthy, have a long life expectancy and live in an area with low crime levels.

"Aberdeenshire also has the highest gross earnings of any rural area in Scotland, a high employment rate and good school results.

"However, living in Aberdeenshire comes at a price with average house prices more than 43,000 above the average for Scotland."

The results of the survey were welcomed by council leaders. Colin Mackenzie, the chief executive of Aberdeenshire Council, said: "This is an excellent verification from the Bank of Scotland that Aberdeenshire continues to provide the best quality of life in Scotland.

"The survey measures areas such as employment levels, health, housing quality and education and to be consistently topping the chart is something we should all celebrate.

"It's evidence that Aberdeenshire is the best place to work and live in Scotland."

TOP TEN

Quality of life rankings for rural local authorities in Scotland:

1. Aberdeenshire 2. East Lothian 3. Scottish Borders 4. Moray 5. Perth and Kinross 6. Dumfries and Galloway 7. Western Isles 8. Highland 9. Argyll and Bute 10. East Ayrshire

A rural local authority is defined as one where the majority of people live in a town or village of less than 10,000 residents.