5
Jan
South-east 'attracts most home movers'
The most popular place to relocate to in the UK is the south-east
corner of England, new figures have indicated.
According to the survey by HBOS, the population of the region
increased by 550,889 people between 1998 and 2007.
This was the highest level of internal migration in the UK during
the decade, the bank stated.
It also revealed that London's population increased by 370,000
people over the same period, while the south-west saw the second
highest net gain from internal migration.
Martin Ellis, Halifax chief economist, stated: "Regions in southern
England saw the largest gain from internal migration with the
south-east proving the most popular region for people to move to
from elsewhere in the UK."
He added that "significant population movements" had been noted
across the UK.
This news follows recent research from Halifax that showed
affordability in the housing market is improving, especially for
first-time buyers.
The ratio of house price to annual income has fallen to 4.86 in
November 2008 from 5.84 recorded in July 2007.