BEDFORDSHIRE, HERTFORDSHIRE - Geography and history
Characteristics
Bedfordshire is situated in the southwest of the East of England Region and is separated from Greater London by the county of Hertfordshire. The area?s administrative structure consists of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire County Councils and the unitary authority of Luton. It covers an area of 2,878 km2 .
Hertfordshire has a wide variety of towns from the old Roman town of St Albans (Verulamium) to four new towns at Hemel Hempstead, Hatfield, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City. Welwyn Garden City was also one of the pioneer planned garden cities (with Letchworth) in the early 20th century.
Population
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire had a population of over 1.6 million inhabitants in 2001. Between 1981 and 2001, the population increased by 10.7 per cent in Bedfordshire, 7.0 per cent in Hertfordshire and 12.7 per cent in Luton ? considerably higher than population growth across the United Kingdom (4.8 per cent). The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire region has a population density of 558 inhabitants per square kilometre (2001 figures).
Of the two counties, Hertfordshire is fairly heavily populated with 631 inhabitants per square kilometre while Bedfordshire is more sparsely populated with 323 inhabitants per square kilometre. The most densely populated district in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire area is the unitary authority of Luton. With 4,295 inhabitants per square kilometre, Luton is the third most densely populated district in England outside Greater London.
The age structure of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire is slightly younger than that of the United Kingdom as a whole. In 2002, the proportion of people aged under 25 in the area was marginally higher than the national average (31.5 per cent compared to 31.2 per cent in the United Kingdom) while the share of people aged 65 and over was lower (14.6 per cent compared to 16.0 per cent nationally). This situation was particularly evident in Luton where 36.4 per cent of inhabitants were aged under 25 and just 12.1 per cent were aged 65 and over.
Population growth as the result of natural causes rose in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire in 2001-2002. The birth rate was higher than the national average at 12.4 per thousand inhabitants while the death rate was lower than the national average at 9.0 per thousand inhabitants. The infant mortality rate is also lower in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire than across the UK.
Economy
The electronics, light and precision engineering industries are major employers in Bedfordshire. Advanced automotive engineering and research has developed from a traditional motor vehicle manufacturing heritage. Sectors that are important to the Hertfordshire economy are the fast growing, high technology and high value added industries, including biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, electronics, film, TV and Media and Information Technology.
Both counties have significant areas of land devoted to farming. In Bedfordshire about half of the county?s land area is devoted to agriculture and in Hertfordshire farming and market gardening is concentrated in the north of the county. Approximately 30 percent of the wards in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire are classified as rural.
The counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire have the advantages and disadvantages that accompany close proximity to the political and administrative centre of the country in Greater London. A number of people in the area, especially those in Hertfordshire, commute to London to work.
0.8 million persons of working age in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire were employed in 2001. The proportion of the working age population in employment was over 5 percentage points higher than the national average while the inactivity rate was almost 4 percentage points lower. The percentage of people unemployed and claiming benefit in 2003 was also below the national average in all of the 22 districts apart from Luton.
Part of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire is included in the Milton Keynes-South Midlands growth area. This is one of four growth areas in the United Kingdom. These areas have experienced significant economic success resulting in pressures on housing and services which cannot readily be dealt with within existing towns and cities. New and expanded communities are therefore needed to support the sustainable growth of these areas. Within the Milton Keynes-South Midlands growth area, Bedford and Luton have been identified as key centres for growth due to their status as major transport nodes and to address their significant regeneration needs.
Education
Higher educational institutions in the area include in the University of Hertfordshire which is a leading centre for engineering and computing, the University of Luton, the Silsoe Research Institute and the Cranfield University. Rothamsted Manor near Harpenden, the oldest agricultural research station in the world, was founded in 1843. The establishment continues research in modern scientific agriculture and provides training in biological and related sciences.
Infrastructure
Luton airport, on the southern border of the county of Bedfordshire, and close to Hertfordshire, is the seventh largest airport in the UK. It is an important international transit point, especially for charter flights. In 2001, 6.5 million passengers used Luton airport.
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