Southend on Sea tops for Golden Oldies
Southend-on-Sea came out as the best UK retirement destination in research commissioned by Yours magazine.
The magazine for the over 50s ranked 60 retirement locations in the UK according to a wide range of considerations for older people. These included house prices, council tax levels, shopping facilities, crime rates, hospital waiting times, the availability of NHS dentists and the weather.
The study awarded first place to Southend which it concluded was a "bargain" retirement location with a low violent crime rate. Other factors helping Southend pip its competitors to the post were the fact that it is relatively flat with a pedestrianised centre and that it has a council tax that is almost £100 lower than the UK average for a band G property.
Editor of Yours magazine Valery McConnell said: "Southend-on-Sea may not be the average person's idea of an idyllic retirement town but it's got everything older people really need."
Poole in Dorset came in second place due to its natural harbour and its waiting times for hip operations that are lower than the national average. Whitehaven in Cumbria was third, again helped by good waiting times for hip replacement operations but also due to its house prices that are nearly half the national average.
Other places to make it into the top 10 included Swansea in Wales, Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, Stirling in Scotland, Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, Skegness in Lincolnshire, Weymouth in Dorset and Southport, Merseyside.
But Southend isn't just for the oldies. It also boasts seven miles of award-winning beaches and more than 80 parks and open spaces, pulling in visitors all year round.
Southend-on-Sea came out as the best UK retirement destination in research commissioned by Yours magazine.
The magazine for the over 50s ranked 60 retirement locations in the UK according to a wide range of considerations for older people. These included house prices, council tax levels, shopping facilities, crime rates, hospital waiting times, the availability of NHS dentists and the weather.
The study awarded first place to Southend which it concluded was a "bargain" retirement location with a low violent crime rate. Other factors helping Southend pip its competitors to the post were the fact that it is relatively flat with a pedestrianised centre and that it has a council tax that is almost £100 lower than the UK average for a band G property.
Editor of Yours magazine Valery McConnell said: "Southend-on-Sea may not be the average person's idea of an idyllic retirement town but it's got everything older people really need."
Poole in Dorset came in second place due to its natural harbour and its waiting times for hip operations that are lower than the national average. Whitehaven in Cumbria was third, again helped by good waiting times for hip replacement operations but also due to its house prices that are nearly half the national average.
Other places to make it into the top 10 included Swansea in Wales, Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, Stirling in Scotland, Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, Skegness in Lincolnshire, Weymouth in Dorset and Southport, Merseyside.
But Southend isn't just for the oldies. It also boasts seven miles of award-winning beaches and more than 80 parks and open spaces, pulling in visitors all year round.
posted by tony at 10:02 PM
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