RESIDENTS in the Malvern Hills district enjoy the best quality of life in a rural area in the West Midlands, a new study has revealed.
The Halifax Rural Quality of Life Survey ranked Malvern Hills first in the region and 25th nationally. A range of statistics from 121 rural authorities were used to compile a list of the best rural areas to live in the UK.
Malvern Hills also scored highly for employment with 78.7 per cent of residents in work, while the district benefits from low population density with 131 people for every square kilometre, compared to the Great Britain average of 264 per square kilometre.
The survey also claimed men and women living in the district can expect to live well into their eighties and almost 95 per cent of residents are reported to be in good health, and happy with their lives, with an average happiness score of 7.9 out of ten.
Jack Hegarty, chief executive of Malvern Hills District Council, said: “We are not surprised with the results of the survey.
“We already knew the district was a wonderful place to live and we are delighted the Halifax Rural Quality of Life Survey has supported that view.
“As with all things in life there is always room for improvement and we are committed to working with our partners to do all we can to make this an even better place to live, work and visit.”
