In a survey conducted by Bank of Scotland, Aberdeenshire was the only local authority area in Scotland to come in the top 50 Rural Areas Quality of Life rankings across the whole of the UK.

The news follows a similar survey last year where Aberdeenshire came out top of the charts as offering the best quality of life anywhere in Scotland.

Performance in each local authority across Great Britain was scored across a range of indicators, which influence the quality of life. These variables include employment, earnings, housing quality, weather, carbon emissions, crime, education performance and health.

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Aberdeenshire was found to have a high employment rate and low traffic and crime levels.

The survey also revealed that Aberdeenshire has the smallest average primary school class size at just 22.4 pupils and 85% of S4 students gained 5 awards at level 4 or better.

Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council Alan Campbell welcomed the news saying: “This survey is significant as it measures key indicators that are important to the well-being of local people like employment levels, health, housing quality and education.

"These results show that we’re heading in absolutely the right direction if we want to achieve our aim of being the best council, in the best area."

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Anne Robertson added: "This is fantastic news.

"The council has an important part to play in supporting local communities and delivering excellent local services to ensure that Aberdeenshire remains an attractive place to live."

(GK/JM)