Buckinghamshire
Main towns: Buckinghamshire refers mainly to the area administered by Buckinghamshire County Council, but includes Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority. The county’s our districts are Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe. The main towns are Aylesbury, Buckingham, High Wycombe, Marlow, Amersham, Chesham, Beaconsfield andBurnham.
Demographics: Buckinghamshire has a relatively high number of ethnic residents. 12% of the population classes itself as not being ‘white British’. The majority are concentrated in High Wycombe and Aylesbury.
Life expectancy is in the top quarters nationally for both male and female residents.
Average household incomes in Buckinghamshire are 34% higher than the national figures and the county ranks 144th out of 150 on the government table for deprivation (meaning that it is the sixth least deprived county). The economy is strong. Unemployment levels are low and car ownership is high. A quarter of employees in Buckinghamshire are educated to degree level and the county’s children consistently achieve ‘significantly higher than average’ GCSE grades.
Recorded crime in some areas is above the national average and there are small pockets of deprivation, with 1% of the county’s population living in areas that are amongst the most disadvantaged in the country.
More than 20% of the population is aged 16 or under, 64% is classed as working age and 15.2% is over 65. However, the proportion of over 50s is expected to increase to 41% by 2016.
Population: Buckinghamshire has an estimated population of 719,000 people. The majority of the county’s population live outside Milton Keynes in the three main towns of High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Buckingham. The county has a relatively low population density.
Places of Interest: Located in the South East of the country, Buckinghamshire stretches north from the Thames Valley and across the Chilterns to Northamptonshire. The northo he county is largely rural, consisting of lots of small market towns. The south is more urban. More than a quarter of the county is located within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and another third is protected as Green Belt. Within the rural areas of the north, land is predominantly used for agriculture. As such, the county offers a perfect balance between laid back country life and busy city life.
The region is home to a number of landmarks such as the legendary Pinewood Studios, which have been used to film most James Bond films as well as numerous other classic movies. Great Missenden, the home town of Roald Dahl, offers various museums and trails devoted to the popular children’s author.
The county is also home to the Bucks New University.
House/Flat Prices: The average property price in Buckinghamshire today, including houses and flat, is £330,000. The average price five years ago, in February 2004, was £220,000.
Planning issues: Parts of Buckinghamshire are included in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands sub-regional growth area. As a result, over 3,500 houses are expected to be built every year until 2026. A lot of the building will take place around Aylesbury and will almost double the size of the town. Aylesbury Vale Advantage has been