East of England Information

East of England has a population just under 5.8 million (2009) - 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 (302 persons per sq km - 2009) 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.

The region has an economy that produces over £110 billion a year – equivalent to approximately 9 per cent of the UK total. It has experienced strong growth over the resent years due to its innovative business sector, proximity to London and its international transport links. The region is home to 430,000 businesses which account for 25% of UK private sector spending on R&D and the region has the second highest level of private sector R&D as a proportion of GDP in Europe.

Sub-regional level

The Region consists of 6 counties and 4 Unitary Authorities

• Bedfordshire County Council, Central Bedfordshire Council and Luton Borough Council
• Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council
• Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
• Hertfordshire County Council
• Norfolk County Council
• Suffolk County Council

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, Southend on Sea) infrastructure. The region’s sea ports provide nearly half of UK container traffic capacity which is expected to grow with expansions at Felixstowe, Harwich and London Gateway. Stansted is the UK's third busiest airport and currently serving around 19 million passengers a year.

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 GVA. On the other hand, manufacture, hotels and restaurants contribute comparatively less. The GVA per head was £ 18.591 (2009). The region ranks fourth when compared with other English regions.   

In the UK, East of England has one of the highest employment rates at 70.5% (2010). The region exhibits one of the lowest unemployment rates in the UK at 6.8% in (2010). 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 at 13,9% (2008) and lowest amongst the 35 to 49 year olds at 3.3% (2008) .

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 (Aviva), 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 19,4% of total UK spending (2009), which is the second highest proportion than any other region in the UK. The region also hosts a number of world renowned research institutions. There are seven universities based in the east of England, spearheaded by the University of Cambridge, the highest-ranking UK and one of the world’s top five universities 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 Ruskin 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**

Sources

• *Insight East Economic Intelligence for the East of England
• ** Regional Trends, No. 43, 2011 Edition Office for National Statistics

Other Sources of Information

• East of England Development Agency
• East of England Local Government  Association
• UK Trade & Investment East of England
• Department for Business Innovation & Skills
• Department for Communities and Local Government
• Confederation of British industry – East of England
• British Chamber of Commerce
• The Business Map
• Learning and Skills Councils