South West England: An at a glance guide
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: The South West
has the best business survival rate in Britain. [Source: Office of
National Statistics 2005]. There are more self-employed people here
than anywhere else in the country.
Employee Motivation: Workers
in the South West enjoy the UK’s highest levels of happiness,
motivation and pleasure in their surroundings. [Source: 2005
wellbeing@work survey]
Size: The South West of
England is the largest region in the UK. It extends over 23,851
square miles, from the south-western tip of Cornwall to the
northern border of Gloucestershire and the eastern borders of
Dorset and Wiltshire.
Overseas Businesses: There
are more than 1500 overseas businesses in the region, including
major internationals like AOL, HP, Lucent Technologies, Orange,
Siemens and Toshiba.
Commuting: The average
commute in the South West is 22 minutes, compared to 55 minutes for
central London. More people in this region walk or cycle to work
than anywhere else in the UK [Source: Department for Transport,
Regional Transport Statistics]
Quality of Life: The South
West is consistently ranked among the best places in Europe to
live. A recent survey placed the South West top of all nine English
regions, emphasising low stress levels and high contentment at work
and home. [Source: Financial Times]. This quality of life acts as a
magnet for highly qualified people from all over the UK and the
world. The South West has the highest life expectancy of any
English region. [Source: Office of National Statistics, Life
Expectancy]. It is one of the safest places to live with the second
lowest regional rate of recorded crime in England and Wales
reported in 2006/7.
Qualifications: More than 25%
of the region’s population is qualified to NVQ Level 4 or above.
Over 27% of the population is educated to degree standard or above.
Attainment at GCSE and A-level is among the highest in the UK.
Research and Development: The
region spends 10% more on R&D than the UK average. [Source:
Office of National Statistics 2005]. The region has internationally
significant research institutions in the fields of biotechnology,
aeronautics, food and drink, nuclear power, water technology and
mining. Toshiba’s European research centre is based in Bristol.
Climate: The South West
enjoys the mildest climate in the UK.
Skills: The South West has a
higher proportion of employees in high level occupations (37%) than
anywhere else in the UK. 24% of employees in the region are in
job-related training – the highest number in the UK.
Population: The population of
the South West is around 5 million and increasing all the time.
Between 1981 and 2001, the population grew by 12.5%, faster than
anywhere else in the UK. This increase was fuelled almost entirely
by inward migration. In 2007/8 over half of the inward migration
was from London and the South East. [Source: Inter-regional
Migration Movements]
Geography: The South West has
1,000km of coastline and some of the UK’s most spectacular
scenery. Over 91% of land in the South West (approx. 13.2
million hectares) was classified as green space in 2001 – the
highest of any region in England. [Source: Government Office South
West]. Over a third of the region is designated as National Park or
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and nowhere is more than 50
miles from the sea
Universities and Colleges:
There are nine universities, 40 Further Education colleges, 14
Higher Education Institutes in the region. Around 197,000 students
are in Further Education and there are 140,000 in Higher
Education.
Employment: 62.4% of the
adult population is currently in employment, providing a total
current workforce of 2,205,000. In March 2007, the unemployment
rate for the South West was 3.9% - the lowest of any region in the
UK. [Source: Labour Force Survey, Office of National
Statistics]
Labour Costs: Labour costs
are typically 5% lower here than the UK average.
Productivity: The South West
is the most productive region in the UK outside London and the
Greater South East. [Source: Office of National Statistics,
Regional GVA] Advanced engineers are a massive 31% more productive
than their counterparts in the rest of the UK.
Density: Despite being the
largest region in England, the South West has the lowest population
density. [Source: South West Observatory]
Economy: The South West’s
economy is worth £90 billion a year. Over the last six years it has
been the fastest growing UK region after London. [Source: Office of
National Statistics 2006].
Affluence: Gross Disposable
Household Income in the region is the highest outside the Greater
South East. [Source: Office of National Statistics, Regional
Disposable Household Income] There is a higher proportion of car
ownership in the region than the average for England as a whole.
[Source: Department for Transport, Transport Statistics
Bulletin]
Infrastructure: The South
West has one of the UK’s most rapidly expanding air transport
networks. Bournemouth grew by 46% in 2002 and Exeter has recently
doubled its capacity. Bristol airport has flights to 330
destinations worldwide. The M5 and M4 motorways link the region to
the rest of the UK and 85% of the country is within a four hour
drive. There is a fast rail network. Bristol Port is one of the
UK’s most successful and fastest growing ports.
Connectivity: The region
enjoys 100% connectivity, with more fibre optic cables than any
other part of the UK.
Tourism: The South West
attracts more foreign visitors than anywhere outside London and is
the recognised holiday destination of Britain. Each year over 22.5
million visitors from around the world come here to share the
outstanding environment. [Source: South West Tourism] In 2005,
tourism contributed £4.7 billion to the region’s economy. [Source:
UK Tourism survey]. Top tourist destinations include the Eden
Project, Bath, Stonehenge and the Jurassic Coast. The region has
some of the UK’s finest surfing and plays host to international
surfing championships.
Key Clusters: There are world
class clusters for a wide range of industries including: Aerospace,
Environmental Technologies, Creative Industries, Biotechnologies
and Biomedical, ICT, Service Industries, Marine, Food and Drink,
Nano and Micro technologies, and Advanced Engineering.
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