Mid Sussex '˜happiest' place to live in England

Mid Sussex is home to the largest proportion of happy people in England '“ according to official statistics.
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balcombe viaduct in the snow ENGSUS00120130122164238

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collected data over three years to measure the wellbeing of more than 300,000 people across the UK.

On average, people rated their happiness between seven and eight out of ten, but the largest percentage of people rating themselves at nine or 10 was in Mid Sussex – 39.3 per cent.

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Councillor Garry Wall, leader of Mid Sussex District Council, said: “Mid Sussex is a great place to live and it’s good to hear that so many people are happy here.

“Being happy isn’t just about where you are; it’s also about who you are with and how you live your life.

“We live in an area surrounded by beautiful countryside, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and enjoy a growing local economy but crucially we have strong local communities.

“The whole area is really flourishing and with carefully planned growth to strengthen those communities, providing housing and jobs we can ensure future generations will also be able to enjoy growing up and living here.”

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Sophie Wysock-Wright, head of residential sales at Savills Haywards Heath, said people were attracted to live in the area because of the coast, the South Downs and arts and cultural events such as Glyndebourne and Brighton Festival.

“Mid Sussex offers the best mix of lifestyle and that’s what is driving the market at the moment,” she said.

“It is probably the closest you can be to London in the south but you really feel like you are in the country with a real sense of getting away from it all, with beautiful villages around.

“We’re seeing a real upturn in buyers coming out of London who want to be in a village and within walking distance of a pub, but with good country walks on your doorstep and we have that here.”

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The ONS found ratings of life satisfaction and happiness were at their lowest, on average, for those aged 45 to 59.

UK's tallest Christmas tree at Wakehurst Place Ardingly, Pic Steve Robards SR1526226 SUS-151121-132138001UK's tallest Christmas tree at Wakehurst Place Ardingly, Pic Steve Robards SR1526226 SUS-151121-132138001
UK's tallest Christmas tree at Wakehurst Place Ardingly, Pic Steve Robards SR1526226 SUS-151121-132138001

Across the UK as a whole people in the Scottish Highlands came out happiest. Of those asked, 43 per cent said they were a nine or a 10.

Liverpool and Wolverhampton were the only places where average happiness was below seven out of 10, at 6.96 and 6.99 respectively.

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