While it is without a single dominant urban centre, the region is home to
two cities with populations of around 250,000 (Medway and Brighton and
Hove) and five cities with populations of greater than 100,000. The South
East is home to over eight million people in some three million households.
Environment
The South East is an environmentally attractive region.
- 6,500 square kilometres of the region are designated as Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); a third of the total area of such
designations for England. Two of these, the New Forest and the South Downs,
have been proposed for National Park Status.
- Some 40% of the region’s area is the subject of some form of
protective designation, such as AONB, Green Belt or Sites of Special
Scientific Interest.
- More than 80% of the region is classified as rural according to recent
statistics issued by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Transport
The major south coast ports, including Dover, Southampton and Portsmouth,
as well as the Channel Tunnel, make the South East the natural access point
to continental Europe.
The presence of Gatwick airport, the UK’s second busiest airport, and
Heathrow immediately adjacent to the regional boundary, also place it at
the hub of the UK’s international travel links.
The South East contains 22% of the England motorway network and 14% of the
England ‘A’ road network. Congestion, however, is a growing
problem.
Higher Education
There are 20 Higher Education Institutes and other Universities with a
campus in the region together with 71 Further Education Colleges.
Research and Development
The region has a strong research presence, including both public sector and
private sector establishments. Over a quarter of all expenditure on
research and development performed in UK businesses took place in the South
East in 2004.
Culture
The region has a strong cultural heritage. Long established and
internationally famous events such as the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and
the Chichester Theatre Festival stand alongside the largest number of
specially designated museum collections of any region. The region also
contains two of the nine UK sports institutes and has a renowned
architectural heritage.
Economy
The South East region makes a major contribution to the UK economy,
accounting for 15.1% of total UK Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2007. GVA
measures the contribution to the economy of each individual producer,
industry or sector in the UK.
On a European basis (2006 figures) the South East ranks 17th of the EUs 97
regional units (including accession states).
The South East also compares favourably with other English regions on
indicators such as income, with household disposable income 12% above the
national average.
The South East, East of England and London are the only regions with
incomes above the national average.
In broad terms the South East economy can be categorised as being advanced,
high cost, high income, broadly based and service oriented.
Employment and Unemployment
Employment rates for working age people in the region
are high - 68.3% for men and 56.0% for women. The South East economy
provides around 4.2 million jobs, as well as making a significant
contribution to the labour market in London. These jobs are predominantly
in the service sector.
Unemployment at 6.2% is
below the England average (7.8%). The Job Seekers Allowance claimant
count rate (residence based) stood at 3.2% in January 2010 compared to
a UK figure of 4.1%.
The workforce is generally well educated, with over 30%
of the working age population holding a qualification at NVQ level 4 and
nearly 70% hold an NVQ level 2 or higher.
Such variations are reflected in claimant count
(residence based) levels, which vary within the region from 1.8 % in West
Oxfordshire and Wokingham to 6.7% in Hastings and 6.0
in Thanet. The large population of the region means that low rates can
also translate into large numbers.Overall, the
claimant count in the region totals some 162,595: 9.9% of the UK total
claimant count.
GVA per head (2007) on a workplace basis varies from
£12,474 in the Isle of Wight and £13,145 in Medway to
£28,853 in Berkshire. Income varies rather less sub-regionally than
GVA. However the Gross Disposable Household Income per head varied in 2006
from £10,953 in Southampton (21% below the national average) to
£18,893 in Surrey (37% above the national average).
Deprivation
This general picture disguises considerable variation within the region.
Indices of Deprivation 2007 show that areas of Kent and the South Coast
fare particularly poorly, with Hastings, Brighton & Hove, Southampton
and Medway all featuring amongst the more deprived districts in England on
a range of measures.
