McBroon's Britain "worst place in Europe"

As the bungling McBroon’s start their fire sale of taxpayer assets like tunnels, bridges and betting counters, a new report says Britain is the worse place to live in Europe and the country is where the focus is on standard of living rather than quality of life.

Researchers weighed up official data for ten European countries and concluded that high incomes in the UK are cancelled out by long working hours, lack of sunshine, poor annual leave and high bills

The report found that Britons enjoy the highest after-tax household income, which, at £35,730-a-year, is more than £10,000 above the European average. But most of it was spent keeping a “Roof over our heads, food on the table and our homes warm”, according to the uSwitch.com European Quality of Life Index.

After taking into account 17 quality of life measures, the study put Britain at the bottom of the list, with Ireland second from last. The best quality of life could be found in France and Spain.

Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com, said: “There is more to good living than money and this report shows why so many Brits are giving up on the UK and heading to France and Spain.

“We earn substantially more than our European neighbours, but this level of income is needed just to keep a roof over our heads, food on the table and our homes warm.

“It's giving us a decent standard of living, but it's not helping us achieve the quality of life that people in other countries enjoy. For too long the focus in the UK has been on standard of living rather than quality of life. As a result we have lost all sense of balance between wealth and well-being.

“The recession could prove to be a turning point, forcing us to re-evaluate our way of life, get back to basics and to the things that really count. Consumers are already beginning to do this - the Government and its policymakers would do well to follow suit.”

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