Is Orkney the best place to live in the UK?

Orkney has taken first place in an annual survey ranking the best place to live in the UK – but is it really?

The archipelago, located 16 km from the north coast of Scotland, is renowned for its spectacular scenery and archaeological treasures, but it has only 22,000 inhabitants spread over 20 habitable islands.

The Bank of Scotland's quality of life study in Halifax placed it above all other parts of the UK, with Richmondshire in North Yorkshire in second place, followed by Rutland in the East Midlands, Hambleton in North Yorkshire and Eden in Cumbria in fifth place.

Orkney took first place because of high employment rates, low crime rates, strong test scores, under-grade grades, and good health and safety results. happiness.

But is it really possible to say that these factors outweigh the difficulties of life on an island, with the problems that entails.

By Huw Williams, BBC Scotland reporter at Orkney

This survey, like many others before it, takes into account factors such as residents' health and life expectancy, employment rates and crime rates.

And, like many other similar surveys, it gives first place to Orkney.

The organizations that promote the islands will seize that.

And many people in the region will no doubt be proud of the fact that Orkney regularly scores well in such rankings.

But there may also be some skepticism – based largely on what reports like this do not ask for.

They never seem to include such things as the cost of living, the reliability of transport links, the robustness of digital connectivity and the levels of fuel poverty.

Even the biggest fans of Orkney should admit that the results could be quite different if these factors were taken into account.

Why Orkney?

The first five are relatively sparsely populated, with Orkney averaging only 22 per kilometer.

Other factors considered favorable to Orkney include affordable housing (an average house price of £ 173,349) and the high employment rate, nearly nine out of 16 (88%) from 16 to 64 years old with a job.

The average weekly earnings in Orkney (£ 671) were well below those in other parts of Scotland and the United Kingdom, but were slightly above average.

Orkney residents also have one of the lowest crime rates in Scotland, with 5.9 crimes per 10,000 population, compared to a national average of 44.1.

This may be the reason why statistics from the Office of National Statistics indicate that adults living in Orkney are among the happiest, most satisfied and most satisfied in the United Kingdom, with a low 'anxiety.