Eastbourne is below average for happiness, life satisfaction and maths and English GSCEs

In the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) ‘subnational indicators explorer’, local authorities (LA) were placed on 21 graphs looking at things ranging from gross median weekly pay and gigabit capable broadband through to ‘feeling life is worthwhile’ and overweight children at reception age.

Out of the 15 measures available for Eastbourne, the town was below the median LA in 10.

Happiness, life satisfaction and GCSEs (and equivalent) in English and maths by 19-years-old were highlighted as ‘negative indicators’ as they placed more than one median absolute deviation below the score of the median LA.

For happiness, Eastbourne had a rating of 7.1/10

In comparison, Woking is the LA with the highest happiness rating with 8.3 while East Dunbartonshire had the median rating of 7.3.

Gedling had the lowest rating of 6.5.

Eastbourne also had a rating of 7.2/10 for life satisfaction, while the Orkney Islands topped the chart with 8.2.

Redbridge fell around the median with a rating of 7.4 and Chichester was bottom with 6.6.

Data for happiness and life satisfaction was recorded between April 2020–March 2021.

From 2019-2020 data, 62.9 per cent of Eastbourne residents had a GSCE (or equivalent) in maths or English by the age of 19.

Waltham Forest fell around the median with a percentage of 71.5.

On opposite ends of the chart, Isle of Scilly was top with 89.5 per cent while Hastings had the lowest percentage in the country with 53.3.

The data was released on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 - according to the ONS.

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said, “We recognise the impact the covid pandemic has had on our towns and villages, particularly those that rely on the tourism economy.

“We are working hard to ensure the right support is in place to get towns like Eastbourne back on track after the disruption experienced over the last two years.

“The council is working closely with Eastbourne Borough Council and key representatives in the public and private sector to deliver on our economic recovery plan for the county, supporting careers, employability, enterprise and skills development in the town to help grow the local economy and provide opportunities for residents.

“We commission a range of services to support residents’ health and wellbeing, including the OneYou programme which offers smoking and alcohol cessation services, adult weight management support and tailored exercise programmes.

“Education is a key priority for the council and we are determined to ensure that all children and young people achieve the very best they can. The council’s Excellence for All strategy sets out our shared vision for school-led educational improvement across the county, building on the gains that have been made in education in recent years to improve outcomes for pupils at all schools.

“Eastbourne remains a wonderful place to live and work or visit.”