Leicester Area Guide

Leicester

Leicester is a city in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest. The population of the city proper was estimated at 285,100, with 441,213 living in the wider Leicester Urban Area, making Leicester the most populous city in the East Midlands, the 10th most populous settlement in the UK and the 8th largest in England alone.

A newly constructed rail and canal network routed through the area stimulated industrial growth in the 19th century, and Leicester became a major economic centre with a variety of manufactories in engineering, shoe making and hosiery production. The economic success of these industries, and businesses ancillary to them resulted in significant urban expansion into the surrounding countryside. The boundaries of Leicester were extended throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming a county borough in 1889, and granted city status in 1919.

Today, Leicester is a thriving city, located on Midland Main Line and close to the M1 motorway. Leicester has an ethnically diverse population, a product of immigration to the United Kingdom since the Second World War. There's also the spectacular Caribbean Carnival, blending beautifully with the Hindu festival of light, Diwali, which sees Leicester taking part in one of the biggest celebrations of this event outside India itself.

There are currently two universities in Leicester: the University of Leicester and the De Montfort University. Both of these universities are quite respected in the fields of education and research, with the University of Leicester being particularly renowned for its excellence in science, arts, humanities, social sciences and law. The university's medical school has also played a large role in the growth of Leicester as a city.

Climate information

The climate in Leicester tends to vary throughout the year. The summer months can range from comfortably warm to fairly hot, while the winter months are usually cold although some sunny days can be expected. These climate conditions make for an ideal city to visit any time of the year, although much of the tourist traffic comes in at around spring.

Leicester Property Market

At present, there are currentlymore than 200,000 residential properties in Leicester, with a little more than 25% of these being either detached houses or bungalows. Residential flats comprise about 20% of this number, with the rest being either terraced or semi-detached houses. Single residents occupy approximately 33% of these houses. In comparison the national average for single resident homes is around 30%. Single parents, compared to the national average of 6%, occupy about 9% of residential properties in the city.

With almost 60% of all the houses in the city being occupied by their owners, the number of rental properties in the city is still a lot higher than the national average, which is approximately 29%. This relatively high number of rented residential properties is largely due to the high number of students in the city, which has been estimated at around 10%. In comparison, the national average of student residents is around 7%.

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Council tax

The average council tax charges for April 2008to March 2009 are listed below based on a household of two adults. The tax bands are based on the value of your property in 1991.

The average council tax per household in Leicester council is £885.72.

Useful Links

• Leicester City Council
• University of Leicester
• De Montfort University

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