The 50 best places to live in the UK: South East of England dominates 2014 quality of life league with Hampshire district retaining top spot

• The district of Hart, Hampshire, scored highly on health, earnings, education, employment and crime
• Britain's South East dominated the list, while only one area in the North made it into the annual top 50
• The Orkney Islands were number 47, while Yorkshire's Hambleton scraped in at number 50
• Just two London boroughs, and none in Wales, Northern Ireland and the South-West made it into this year's list

Nestled in the north-east corner of Hampshire, the tranquil district of Hart has been crowned as the place with the best quality of life in the UK for the fourth year in a row.

Elmbridge in Surrey and Winchester, also in Hampshire, came second and third on the annual 'top 50' list compiled by Halifax - which was once again dominated by areas in the South East of England.

Scotland got a look in at number 47 with the Orkney Islands, while Hambleton in Yorkshire was the only place in Northern England on the list, scraping in at number 50.

Happy Hart: Hart, in Hampshire, has been voted the area with the best quality of life in the UK

Quality of life: Elmbridge in Surrey came second in the poll and has previously topped the chart four times

Two London boroughs made the top 50. They were Kensington and Chelsea, placed at number 34, and Bromley at 37. Richmond-upon-Thames, officially part of Surrey came 15th, with residents able to enjoy scenic towpath walks along the Thames and nearby attractions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

 

THE TOP 50 AREAS WITH THE BEST QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE UK:

1. Hart, South East 2. Elmbridge, South East 3. Winchester, South East 4. Rutland, East Midlands 5. Chiltern, South East 6. Uttlesford, East of England 7. South Northamptonshire, East Midlands 8. Rushcliffe, East Midlands 9. Wokingham, South East 10. Waverley, South East 11. Warwick, Warwickshire 12. St Albans, East of England 13. South Cambridgeshire, East of England 14. Sevenoaks, South East 15. Richmond upon Thames, South East 16. Bracknell Forest, South East 17. Mid Sussex, South East 18. Huntingdonshire, East of England 19. Mole Valley, South East 20. Surrey Heath, South East 21. South Oxfordshire, South East 22. Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire 23. Guildford, South East 24. Babergh, East of England 25. Chelmsford, East of England 26. Windsor and Maidenhead, South East 27. Reigate and Banstead, South East 28. East Hertfordshire, East of England 29. Basingstoke and Deane, South East 30. West Oxfordshire, South East 31. Tunbridge Wells, South East 32. North Hertfordshire, East of England 33. South Kesteven, East Midlands 34. Kensington and Chelsea, London 35. Rugby, West Midlands 36. Woking, South East 37. Bromley, London 38. Ashford, South East 39. East Cambridgeshire, East of England 40. North Kesteven, East Midlands 41. Aylesbury Vale, South East 42. Tonbridge and Malling, South East 43. Wealden, South East 44. Maidstone, South East 45. Mid Suffolk, East of England 46. Wycombe, South East 47. Orkney Islands, Scotland 48. Epsom and Ewell, South East 49. Central Bedfordshire, East of England 50. Hambleton, Yorkshire and The Humber

People living in Kensington and Chelsea have the highest average weekly earnings in the study, at £1,372 per week, which is more than double the national average.

Nowhere in Wales, Northern Ireland or the South West of England made the top 50. Within Wales, Monmouthshire had the highest ranking, coming at number 98 overall in the survey, while the place that was ranked the highest in Northern Ireland was Fermanagh at number 138.

South Gloucestershire was named as the South West's most desirable region and was ranked at 60 overall.

The Halifax Quality of Life Survey placed Hart at the top spot once again as it scored highly on a number of measures, including residents' health and well being, education, employment levels, low crime rates, good weather and good broadband access.

The report, which is the ninth that Halifax has produced, crunches statistics from various sources to come up with an overall measure quality of life.

Its sources include Office for National Statistics data, figures from various government departments and information from the Met Office.

Hart, which is centred on the town of Fleet, boasts vast open spaces of heathland and woodland as well as Hampshire's largest freshwater lake.

More than 97 per cent of Hart residents report being in good health.

The average weekly wage in Hart is £839, which is one third more than the UK average of £629.

Hart inhabitants enjoy 32.5 hours of sunshine per week compared with the national average of 29.5 hours, as well as a high employment rate, with four out of five 16 to 64-year-olds in work.

The average life expectancy in Hart is the joint highest in the UK, with the male population typically living to the age of 83.

But Hart residents pay a premium to live there. Average house prices in Hart cost nearly seven and-a-half times the typical local income.

Nipping at Hart's heels is the Surrey district of Elmbridge which lies south-west of London and contains well-to-do commuter towns like Esher, Oxshott and Cobham.

It has moved up to second place from sixth position last year. In previous years, Elmbridge - where average weekly earnings stand at £1,104 - has topped the quality of life survey four times.

Other big climbers up the list compared with last year include Rutland, which has jumped 17 places to number four, Chiltern, which has risen 10 places to number five, Warwick, which has moved from number 42 in 2013 to 11th place and Richmond up to 15, which was at 54 last year.

Halifax said that the personal well-being of adults in these areas appears to have generally improved since 2013, helping them to climb the rankings - with residents reporting that they are more satisfied, happy and less anxious about their lives.

Martin Ellis, an economist at Halifax, said Hart has made a 'remarkable achievement' to come out top for four years in a row.

He continued: 'A regional comparison shows many areas in southern England score strongly in categories such as the labour markets and health.

'Northern areas tend to perform well on education and lower house prices in relation to earnings.

'In Scotland and Wales, several areas enjoy low traffic flows and burglary rates.'

The report also found that employment is highest in Eden in Cumbria, at 87.0 per cent, ahead of Dacorum in Hertfordshire at 85.4 per cent.

The biggest homes are in Uttlesford in Essex, Chiltern in South Buckinghamshire and Rutland in the East Midlands, which all typically have 6.4 habitable rooms.

Rutland (pictured), in the East Midlands, is famed for its limestone and ironstone cottages. The county came fourth on the list

Chiltern, in England's South East, sits on the picturesque Chiltern Hills, from which the town takes its name. It was ranked fifth in the list

These colourful houses in Saffron Walden show why the district of Uttlesford, in Essex, placed at number six on the ranking

South Northamptonshire was ranked seventh. Pictured are narrowboats in the town of Stoke Bruerne during the booming 60s

Pictured is the rural village of Colston Bassett, located in Rushcliffe. The borough, in Nottinghamshire, placed eighth

Residents of Wokingham (pictured) enjoy some of the best quality of life in Britain, the study has revealed. The Berkshire town came ninth

In 10th place was Surrey's borough of Waverley. Pictured is the Farnham Council building, located within the Waverley area

Four areas in the top 250 in the country have an average house price to earnings ratio at or below the historic UK average of 4.0. They are Omagh, Fermanagh, North Lincolnshire and the Western Isles.

The Western Isles and Highlands have the lowest population density, with nine people per square kilometre, compared with a UK average of 264.

The sunniest place in the UK is the Isle of Wight, where residents enjoy an average of 36.9 hours sunshine a week.

Male life expectancy is highest in Hart and South Cambridgeshire at 83 years. The UK average is 79.3 years.

People aged over 16 years old in Antrim in Northern Ireland have the highest average rating for life satisfaction in the UK. Based on a score out of 10, the adults in Antrim had an average rating of 8.8.The UK average is 7.5. 

The Halifax study rated localities using official data on criteria such as employment rates and incomes, affordability of housing, congestion, mental and physical health of residents, education and crime levels.

By totalling these ratings each of the 405 Local Authority Districts in the UK was given an overall score and ranked accordingly.

Warwick (pictured) in Warwickshire, placed 11th in the list. Pictured is a view of the town beneath a stunning moody cloud formation

A couple stroll through the town of St Albans, in Hertfordshire. Located north of London, it is a historic market town which came 12th

An old watermill in South Cambridgeshire illustrates why the tranquil district was ranked thirteenth in the list of best quality of life areas

Sevenoaks (pictured), is a commuter town but one that ranks highly as one of the best places to live in Britain. It placed fourteenth

Residents of Richmond-upon-Thames, located in south west London, enjoy high incomes as well as nice, scenic views