As individuals begin to place more importance on experience, the impact of quality of life statistics and perceptions becomes greater and greater when they are making decisions on where to live and work. The North East has always performed well in some quality of life measures, house prices in the region are amongst the lowest in the UK, people feel safe in their surroundings, crime, and fear of crime, is low by national standards and the average commuting times are also low. These are just some of the factors that have led to the North East being consistently ranked as one of the top places in the overall quality of life measures.

If the region is to continue its growth and bridge the gap between itself and the national average, it must attract talented individuals by communicating these strong statistics to a wider audience. The process has already begun in the region’s universities where the high standard of living and positive experiences of past alumni are used to attract prospective students.

These advantages also need to be communicated to businesses, if they are aware that property prices are lower and that their staff will enjoy a high standard of living they are more likely to base their operations in the region, provided that they are able to access their markets from the area. Whilst there are many global companies with an office in the North East, they are usually small when compared to those elsewhere in the UK.

Fact File

• Between 2000-2005 the UK had an average annual house price growth rate of 9.9%, this was one of the highest rates of all the OECD countries, second only to Spain.
• According to a worldwide index, Ireland has the highest quality of life in the world.
• The UK average rate for persons per dwelling is 2.32.
• The average price for a house in England & Wales is £210,578
• 40% of UK residents believe that people living in the NE enjoy a good quality of life.
• The UK has the 29th highest quality of life in the world, despite having the 13th highest level of GDP per head.
• The North East benefits from lower house prices and shorter travel to work times
• The region also has the joint lowest rate of persons per dwelling in the UK (2.25, UK average; 2.32).
• 26.7% of houses in the NE were built in the post war decade (1945-1964), it also has the highest rate of semi-detached houses of any UK region.
• House prices are the lowest in the UK, an average price of £138,312, 62.5% of the England and Wales figure. However, this gap is closing at an increasing rate.
• The NE is the most deprived region in England, 22% of people in the region live in the 10% most deprived areas in the England, only 3% of the region’s population live in the 10% least deprived areas.
• Two thirds of people in the region believe that people living in the NE enjoy a good quality of life.