- By Rupert Waters, Head of Economic Research, Buckinghamshire Business First
- 20 June, 2017
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The latest research on Buckinghamshire's economy is in, giving us a greater understanding of how business, social and economic landscapes are changing over time.
Claimant count
The number of out of work Buckinghamshire residents claiming either Job Seekers’ Allowance or Universal Credit rose by 50 in May, rising above 3,000 for the first time since February 2015.
The claimant count rate was unchanged at 0.9 per cent of working age residents, less than half the national rate, ranking 3rd lowest among the 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and 5th lowest among England’s 27 county council areas.
Gross disposable household income
At £25,312, Buckinghamshire’s per capita gross disposable household income (GDHI) is the 10th highest of the 173 NUTS 3 regions in the UK.
Having grown faster than the UK overall in 2014, Buckinghamshire’s annual growth on this measure fell back below the national rate in 2015, the fifth time GDHI has grown more slowly in Buckinghamshire that across the UK as a whole in the last six years. Since 2007, growth in GDHI in Buckinghamshire has been among the slowest in the country.
House building
There were 1,850 dwellings completed in Buckinghamshire in the year to the end of March 2017, representing 0.9 per cent of existing stock, the 8th highest house building rate among both the 27 county councils and the 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships. This was the highest four quarter total since 2011 and the third highest since 2005, well above pre-recession levels.
Aylesbury Vale had the 19th highest house building rate of all 326 local authorities in England in the last year, completing 1,170 homes or 1.5 per cent of stock. Since the start of 2010, Aylesbury Vale has seen the completion of 7,060 homes or 9.9 per cent of stock in 2010, the 5th highest house building rate of any local authority in England and more than double the national rate of house building.
Educational attainment
Buckinghamshire’s educational attainment is among the highest in the country, with 48.0 per cent of working age (16-64) residents holding at least degree level qualifications, the 2nd highest share among county councils, ranking 4th among Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), well above the 38.2 per cent recorded across Great Britain.
