Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Being Australian, unfamiliar with the UK (last visited in 1993), wanting to relocate with a family of 6 next year and sadly having practiced as an Accountant for the last 30 years, I have employed the following scientific process of region selection;
Got the MET map to locate regions with lowest rainfall, highest number of Sunlight hours, and highest average temperatures.
Cross referenced same against Financial times map to identify areas of lowest unemployment.
Fed in average house price data, and
Confirmed school results for the area is above national average - via Ofsted stats.
Outcome is the region including Northern Cambs. Nottinghamshire,South Western Lincs.
How did I go??:)

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

No idea, is that where you want to move to?
You still have to pick an area where you'll be happy.

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Sounds about right. As I read your criteria I was thinking you might have centered on Norwich, just to the east of the area you identified, and you might still want to give Norwich a look. The area you identified is flat, and relatively rural for eastern England, so while unemployment might be low, I don't think of that area as one with a lot of opportunities either.

Honestly I'd turn your analysis around and look for low unemployment and good schools, and then consider the weather as a deciding factor, or even ignore that weather completely. ... It's Britain, you're gonna get rained on! :D

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Last time I lived in England it was in London and the grey weather really got to me. I was trying to alleviate this by keeping East. We don't know anyone over there so location is wide open.
I was hoping the proximity to places like Nottingham and Leicester would yield some business or employment opportunities.
Looking at the MET map - the West get's a heap more rain than the East. I agree that Norwich is well worth a look.

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

North Cambs? Nah, South Cambs - but I am a tad prejudiced although your downfall there might be house prices (generally higher in the south of the County). I'm just wondering if the house price factor might actually be directing you to places where there is a high migrant population with some social disadvantage (although that may not gel with excellent Ofsted reports) - just thinking that profile certainly reflects the areas around Peterborough/Wisbech. Weather wise - no complaints here!!!

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Thanks Quoll
My wife likes South Cambs but we have had some difficulty finding a town with the right schools. Can you help?
House prices are not a determinant, I was trying to avoid London commuter towns - as I was a bit unsure how this affected community spirit etc - any comments?

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

I don't think the east is going to be massively different from London for sunshine.

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Personally, I find the east-midlands and eastern England rather boring. But I may have a personal prejudice since around half the population of Nottingham are my extended family (or at least it feels like that when I visit).

More seriously, the towns and cities of the east-midlands are generally regarded as dull and unattractive compared with elsewhere. Some people love the flatlands of eastern England. I prefer some variation in the scenery.

Apart from that, your analysis is correct, and Nottingham people are friendly.

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Those on that East Coast are fortunate to enjoy what is locally called "a lazy wind".

For the benefit of those who do not know the area so well it is called that because it cannot be bothered to go around you.

It cuts right through the middle. :eek:

Bracing is perhaps a more positive terminology!

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Wasn't that Skeggie's claim to fame. A Jolly Fisherman slogan "Skegness is so bracing" !

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Years ago we lived for two years in Leicestershire, to the east of the city, between Market Harborough and Melton Mowbray. It was very pretty around there! We then moved to Radcliffe on Trent, Notts, again, very nice.

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

I'm out of the school loop I'm afraid but SCambs is mainly villages serviced by village primaries and the Village College system - some get quite good reports - I think Swavesy ranked top (it's N Cambs tho!) but it's inspirational head teacher died earlier this year. Others like Comberton apparently do quite well. Many kids then go to Cambridge for 6th form College and Hills Rd tops the charts of gov schools there but there are loads of high quality independents.

We live on the Liverpool St line - 75 mins (it stops a lot!!!) and the community feeling in the village is fabulous IMHO. I know of other SCambs villages - rellies live in them- and wouldn't live anywhere else! I have a friend in Waterbeach and she thinks it is the best thing since sliced bread so there is a general feeling if community and well being out there. I think you've just got to eyeball places and see if you think you'll fit

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Do you think the East and around Notts would be too dull for the kids? I have 4 and two of them are 14 and 16 respectively so just starting to get "social".
I don't mind the quiet but was also perhaps mistakenly thinking that as places like Sheffield, Cambridge and even Birmingham look close on the map they would be accessible for business. Are the roads very busy? Logically with so many people In a relatively small piece of land I suppose they are?
Seems that the area is still quite London centric with people commuting in by train. Some relies have labelled the area a bit dull is this the London effect? Or is just the rural backdrop?

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Yes the roads are busy and some are worse than others. The A14 gets a particularly bad rap in Cambridgeshire. But with an Aussie sense of distance, you're right, nowhere is really that far from anywhere and if you get a tomtom with traffic conditions you can still make relatively speedy journeys even when there are traffic jams. You'll probably need a small+ town within cooee for kids social stuff - a village could meet their needs if it was a village with a youngish profile but otherwise they'd probably want the bright lights.

I wouldn't say there was a London-centricity, many folk I know haven't been to London in decades. Some of the older folk dont even venture into Cambridge as being "too busy". But, London is there and accessible if you want it. I can only speak for Cambs but dull it is not! We have a "system" in Cambridge where people laminate flyers for their (mainly cultural) events and tie them to railings in the city - the problem is that there is too much going on!

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

I am pretty sure I read that they plan on upgrading the A14, and making it into a toll road too

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

They do plan on upgrading but don't hold your breath! The toll is still "being discussed" - yeah, right! I would actually avoid anywhere that relies heavily on the A14 if at all possible for the foreseeable future at least!

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Thanks Quoll
Really useful:thumbsup:

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Good choice of areas -I lived in nottingham for a long time and loved it - the weather is drier and less damp than in the west. It's quite a buzzing town with lots happening. But it also used to be known as the 'stabbing capital of england' - place where you are most likely to get knifed! (and it's not a euphemism...)

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Hi Marooned

Do you know much about the town of Southwell just outside of Nottingham. Looks great to me with good school, shops, pubs, sport facilities etc. Close enough to Nottingham to be handy but just outside shooting range....
The other place we were looking at is Bingham - again stacks up like Southwell but a bit further from Nottingham.

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Both lovely towns - yes, as you suggest Southwell (pronounced Su-thull FYI!) is closer - more of a satellite town - but very pretty. Bingham has more of its own identity and is a very nice market town. Great transport links too. Can't go wrong with either one, in my opinion. And well outside the 'stab zone!@:D

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Luv ya work marooned:lol:

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Southwell is gorgeous in my opinion. It's one of the few places in Nottinghamshire I'd consider living. But property prices are high there.

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Hi Editha
Any comment on Bingham?

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

Bingham is very near Radcliffe on Trent. We lived in Radcliffe for a while. Good place to live. I should think it would have a bit more going on than Bingham.
Radcliffe had good schools, shops, a station, buses into Nottingham.

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

I don't know Bingham.

Re: Touch down analysis by a Bean Counter
 

We left Bingham to move to Australia, and i can't wait to get back there eventually, we lived in a few different areas within rushcliffe and none compared to Bingham, great for families, think it won some kind of family award last year voted top ?? in towns to live in the uk, (sorry i cant remember the number, but i'm sure there will be lots of articles on it if you google). I personally like
West Bridgford (but could never afford a 4 bed there),
East Bridgford (we lived there for a while, fab school, very quiet, and has a reputation for being slightly snobby, but we didn't find that at all),
Southwell (love Southwell, Minster school is great, a mix of posh and not so posh, lovely pubs and shops, my close friend moved to Bingham from Southwell and loves both, her parents own a farm there, and also have a rental property there, when we first looked at houses there we went in the estate agents and asked for 'suthall' as thats how my parents pronounced it, i just got a dirty look up and down and told 'do you mean south well', lol, it can be snobby, people from southwell and that side of town call it south well, from the other side of town its called suthall, which the people of southwell seem to hate)
Radcliffe on Trent (stuck there for over 5 years trying to sell our house, we found it rough compared to what we had been used to in the main street, we hated it, youths tend to hang around the shops there more than any other place we lived, we didn't live in the centre so I very rarely went as I just never got a good feel for it, parking was easy unlike BIngham and WEst Bridgford, but think thats because most people probably chose to shop in those two places rather than radcliffe, the secondary school at radcliffe has a bad reputation and even though we lived there sent our children to school elsewhere, think numbers got really low so they got children from the meadows to fill the places, on the estate we lived I dont know of a single person who sent there children to school in radcliffe, i'm sure there must have been someone but most went to west bridgford, bingham, cropwell, east bridgford or private)

There are lots of other great areas around there, also what I found with Bingham that most people have moved there from elsewhere, there are lots of southeners living there and people tend to move there with families because they've heard good things about it, but like anywhere theres a 'good end' and a 'not so good end', For value for money there are much worse places to live :)