'Affordable affluence' in Beverley
Updated on 03 September 2007
Beverley is the British town where an affluent lifestyle can be achieved at the most affordable price, a report says.
The Yorkshire town's good schools, decent housing stock and reasonable property prices helped put it top of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)'s "affordable affluence index".
Maidstone in Kent came second followed by Chester in third place.
The index weighed up the presence of positive "lifestyle indicators" in each area and the prices charged for them.
These included up-market restaurants, bars, museums, galleries, gyms, top-performing state schools and motor dealerships.
The presence of "negative factors" such as fast food chains, "value" supermarkets and betting shops was also weighed up to give each location an "affluence" score.
Property affordability was then worked out to determine the overall index position of each location.
Beverley's average houses are slightly above the national average at £182,000 while average earnings in the town are £37,000, the RBS report says.
In a foreword to the Affordable Affluence Index, RBS head of private banking Harry Keogh said: "What the example of Beverley, and the other towns that make it into the index show, is that a moderately wealthy lifestyle is well within the reach of many more people than probably realise it."
Entertainment, hotel and spa chains, plus the type of clothing and shoe stores on offer were other indicators in the RBS survey.
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