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East of England Information
East of England has a population just under 5.5 million and one of the fastest growing populations in the UK. Migration plays an important role in population growth especially in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. Cambridgeshire is a great importer of labour whilst Norfolk attracts mainly retired people, explaining the steady population growth of the county despite the natural decline in its population. Even with the fast population growth of some areas East of England has a lower overall population density (283 persons per sq km - 1999) than England. There are about half a dozen medium sized towns and cities in the region, with no major city which acts as a regional centre. The north and the east part of the region are embracing large rural areas. The proportion of market towns, small historic towns and villages is higher than in other regions, and more than a third of the population lives in settlements of less than 10,000 inhabitants.
Sub-regional level
The Region consists of 6 counties and 4 Unitary Authorities
Transport and communications
The west part of the region has good connections to other regions to the north, west and the south, where the M25, M1, A1M and M11 motorways provide excellent links to other parts of the country. The south part of East of England is within the pull of London with a great proportion of the workforce commuting to the capital. The region is strategically placed for Europe and has excellent port (Harwich, Felixstowe, Ipswich, Great Yarmouth) and airport (Luton, Stansted, Norwich) infrastructure. Felixstowe is the UK's fastest growing port and Stansted is the UK's fourth busiest and fastest growing airport.
Economic Structure
The East of England has a diverse economy. In the region, financial intermediation, agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, transport and communication, real estate, renting and business activities and construction are amongst the sectors that have a larger than average contribution to the regional GDP. On the other hand, manufacture, hotels and restaurants contribute comparatively less. The GDP per head was £13,438 (1999). The region ranks third when compared with other UK regions.
In the UK, East of England has one of the highest employment rates at 73.8% (1999-00). The region exhibits one of the lowest unemployment rates in the UK (3.7% in June 2001). However, on sub-regional level there are differences amongst counties. In the East of England, unemployment is highest amongst the 16 to 24 year olds (9.5%) and lowest amongst the 35 to 49 year olds (2.8%).
Manufacturing is relatively concentrated in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. In Bedfordshire it is seen in mainly metal goods and engineering, with great importance of the automotive industry.
The agricultural sector together with food processing is most important in Norfolk, Suffolk and in the north Cambridgeshire. The region’s food processing is one of the largest in the UK and also has a strong R & D base present.
The East of England has a great concentration of financial and business service activity with Hertfordshire (Hambros, PricewaterhouseCoopers), Chelmsford (M&G), Norwich (Norwich Union, Virgin Direct), Peterborough (Pearls Assurance) well established locations for companies. Cambridgeshire now also has a great number of firms in business and professional services.
The region has a great strength in the knowledge-based industries. The Cambridge area, Hertfordshire and Norwich contain clusters of world ranking companies in the biotechnology, computing and pharmaceutical sectors.
The R&D expenditure in the East of England was 3.2% of the regional GDP (1998), which is the highest proportion than any other region in the UK. The region is also centre for academic research. There are seven universities based in the east of England. Cambridge University is the highest-ranking UK University and is renowned for world-class research in all sciences and engineering. Cranfield University is a leading institution in the business and management studies and advanced engineering fields. University of East Anglia (Norwich) has a reputation for excellence in biological and environmental sciences and Essex University (Colchester) in economics. Besides these, Anglia Polytechnic University (Chelmsford), University of Hertfordshire, University of Luton are based in the region. De Monfort University (Leicester) and Loughborough University have also got regional centres in Bedford and Peterborough respectively.*
East of England profile**
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Profile
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East of England
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UK
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| Area (sq km) |
19,120 |
242,910 |
| Population (thousands) 1999 |
5,419.2 |
59,501.6 |
| Total population growth 1991-1998 (percentage) |
4.6 |
3.1 |
| Density (persons per sq km) |
283 |
245 |
| Population under 16 (percentage) 1999 |
20.2 |
20.4 |
| Population of pension age and over (percentage) 1999 |
18.5 |
18.1 |
| Employers involved with Investors in People (IiP) (percentage): 50+ and 200+ employees 1999 |
32
63 |
31
53 |
| Working age population with degree or equivalent qualification (percentage) |
14.3 |
15.3 |
| Economically active population of working age (percentage) 2000 |
81.2 |
78.7 |
| ILO Unemployment rate (May 2001) |
3.7 |
4.9 |
| Dwelling prices, 2000 (average price £) |
114,392 |
112,388 |
| GDP 1999 (£ per head) |
13,438 |
13,213 |
| Household Income 1997 (£ per head) |
13,392 |
14,543 |
| Business survival rates: percentage of businesses surviving for three years (1996-1999) |
65.3 |
62.5 |
Sources
Other Sources of Information
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