People living in Epsom and Ewell have the highest levels of life satisfaction within Surrey, recent government figures show.
The government’s National Wellbeing Measures, which are based on a survey of 139,690 participants across the UK, also show high levels of happiness within the borough.
The levels of life satisfaction are compiled for each local authority in the UK. Epsom and Ewell scored 8 out of 10. Lower levels were recorded for all the neighbouring boroughs – Sutton (7.5), Kingston upon Thames (7.6), Reigate and Banstead (7.7) and Mole Valley (7.7).
Happiness was measured as 7.8 out of 10 for Epsom & Ewell. This compared with Sutton (7.3), Kingston upon Thames (7.3), Reigate and Banstead (7.6) and Mole Valley (7.8).
Levels of stress within the borough were measured as significantly falling from previous years. This was in direct contrast to the rest of the UK which saw average ratings of anxiety increase. Across the country average ratings of life satisfaction and happiness deteriorated; within Epsom & Ewell they increased.
Councillor Barry Nash, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee said “While it is fascinating to compare ourselves with our neighbours, the real purpose of these statistics is for local authorities to measure their performance over a period of years in order to continually improve the services they provide for their residents. Since these figures started being compiled by the Office of National Statistics ten years ago, this borough has seen a steady increase in levels of life satisfaction and happiness.
“There is growing evidence that volunteering and being an active citizen increases an individual’s wellbeing and self-worth. I would like to think this borough with its strong community spirit, recently demonstrated during the lockdown, is one of the factors behind these remarkable statistics.
“It will be naïve to think that these figures, which are for the year ending 30 March, won’t be significantly impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic and how that has affected borough residents and businesses.
“As things return to a form of normality, the council’s four year plan details the steps the council will take to lead the community into an even brighter future”.
Figures are compiled by the Office of National Statistics and cover the period April 2019 to March 2020 (published 30 July 2020). Full details can be found on the Office of National Statistics website
Link to the council four year plan
https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/council/four-year-plan
Volunteering and life satisfaction
