Happy West Lothian smiles better

Factors such as age and income were taken into account in the study

West Lothian has been rated as the happiest place in Scotland.

Researchers ranked the area third highest in a list of 273 areas throughout Britain.

The academic poll also found Edinburgh to be the most miserable place to live in the UK - despite its beautiful scenery and many culture attractions.

"This is further confirmation that West Lothian is a great place to live, work and visit," said Peter Johnston, West Lothian Council leader.

He added: "It is the latest in a series of top accolades for West Lothian.

"West Lothian offers an excellent quality of life which has been recognised with its new ranking as Scotland's happiest place, which we obviously warmly welcome."

I find this surprising as Edinburgh is a great place to live, work, invest and visit Jenny Dawe Edinburgh City Council leader

Martyn Day, West Lothian Council's development and transport leader, said: "This is really great news for West Lothian. It is always nice to receive national recognition of this type.

"I hope it will encourage even more people to come and visit West Lothian, where we can guarantee a happy, smiling welcome."

A team from the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester used data from the British Household Panel Survey, where people were asked about their sense of wellbeing, to draw up a map of happiness for England, Scotland and Wales.

Stunning architecture

After adding in factors such as employment, health and educational qualifications, they found that Powys in Wales was the happiest place. Manchester came second, followed by West Lothian.

Edinburgh finished bottom of the list of 273 areas covered by the happiest places survey.

Edinburgh City Council leader Jenny Dawe, said: "I find this surprising as Edinburgh is a great place to live, work, invest and visit.

"Last year it was voted as the best place to live in the UK by Channel 4's flagship property programme Location, Location, Location.

"The city truly has the best of everything; stunning architecture, abundant green space and outstanding schools and universities."

The research was presented at the annual conference of the Royal Geographic Society and the Institute of British Geographers.