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 region makes a major contribution to the UK economy, accounting for 15.3% of total UK Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2005. GVA measures the contribution to the economy of each individual producer, industry or sector in the UK.
On a European basis (2004 figures) the South East ranks 13th of the EU’s 95 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 - 82.8% for men and 73.7% for women. The South East economy provides around 4.3 million jobs, as well as making a significant contribution to the labour market in London. These jobs are predominantly in the service sector as shown in the chart.
Unemployment at 4.6% is below the national average (6.0%). The Job Seekers Allowance claimant count rate (residence based) stood at 1.8% in October 2008 compared to a UK figure of 2.6%.
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 0.7% in 7 of our Districts to 3.9% in Hastings. 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 78,309: 8.4% of the UK total claimant count. Similar variations can be traced in terms of GVA/head, which in 2006 ranged from £ 10,953 in Southampton to £ 18,893 in Surrey.
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.
