SOUTH Oxfordshire has slumped from coming first last year to tenth place in an annual survey of rural local authorities with the best quality of life.
West Oxfordshire, meanwhile, has been ranked eighth in the Halifax poll for the top 50 rural areas.
Halifax said the fall was partly due to the inclusion of the two new categories this year looking at the choice of pubs and the availability of health clubs and leisure centres.
The Orkney Islands, Scotland, grabbed first place this year, followed secondly by Wychavon, West Midlands and Derbyshire Dales, East Midlands in third.
The South East and the South West of England combined bagged 20 places on Halifax's list of the top 50 rural places with the best quality of life in 2017.
Nowhere in the North East of England made the top 50, with Northumberland ranked at 94.
The annual survey gathers figures covering the labour market, the housing market, the environment, education, health, and personal wellbeing using a variety of sources including the ONS, government data, the Met Office, Ofcom and Halifax itself.
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