Have you ever wondered about retiring somewhere different? Or what place might be the best to bring up the kids? According to two recent surveys, for family life the East of England comes out top, but for retirement you might want to look West or South.
uSwitch.com has just published its first ever Better Family Life Index and the top three areas are all located in the East of England: Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Central Bedfordshire.
Based on government data, the index ranked local authorities on 33 indicators significant to a good family life, including housing, crime, health, education, sunshine and time spent with family. Hertfordshire came out on top thanks to high scores in areas such as employment rate (81%), proximity to GPs and high GCSE scores.
In second place, Cambridgeshire scored well with a high annual pay of £32,761and 80% of people between 18 and 64 in employment.
For those at a later stage in life, the Prudential has just named Dorset as the best spot to retire to in the UK, with West Sussex and Herefordshire coming in joint second. Its Quality of Retirement Index 2016 ranked each of the 55 counties in England and Wales according to seven key indicators: resident pensioners as a proportion of the counties’ population; disability-free life expectancy; access to healthcare; crime levels; the number of pensioners moving to the county; pension income; and weather.
Dorset scored highly across the board – it’s the sixth most popular place for retirees to move to and it has the third largest number of pensioners. The West Country does well with Devon also coming in fourth place. The Isle of Wight and East Sussex share joint fifth place, but it is Surrey’s pensioners who receive the highest average retirement income of £21,200.
Because there are so many factors to consider, such big choices are of course a very personal decision. If you are considering a move, it’s obviously essential to have clear view of your financial standing and the implications that relocating could have. We’d love to hear from you if there are any issues you’d like to discuss.
