Fascinating facts on Dacorum have emerged from an analysis by one of the country’s leading banking chains.
Information just released by Halifax in its Quality of Life 2012 survey shows that our gross weekly earnings average £654, that the employment rate is 73.8 per cent and the number of households with broadband access is 98.4 per cent.
Unsurprisingly, the number of homes with central heating is now 98.4 per cent and Dacorum’s number of empty homes is a low 0.9 per cent.
The survey is based on a range of factors including residents’ health and life expectancy, employment, crime rate, weather and even good broadband access.
Some warming news is that Dacorum averaged 30.3 hours of sunshine a week – bettered only by places such as the Isle of Wight and Bournemouth –and we only suffered half the rainfall of West Devon, with the borough’s at 764mm per year.
Dacorum comes 73rd out of named authorities. Halifax data shows average Hemel house prices dropped by £5,851 last year from £231,796 to £225,945.
Nearby St Albans recorded one of the biggest percentage increases.
