# Best Value Family Areas Near London (2026) methodology note

This mini study is a home-counties slice of the Neighbourhood Finder ranked neighbourhood dataset.

- Geography: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, and Surrey
- Source file: `working-data/neighbourhoods-ranked-interim-2026-04-07.csv`
- Rows screened in this home-counties cut: 935 wards
- Affordability rule: keep only rows at or below the home-county median `house_price_percentile` (73 in this cut)
- Family-fit floors:
  - `schools_percentile >= 70`
  - `transport_percentile >= 70`
  - `crime_percentile >= 40`
- Final ordering: `family_value_score`

Published score formula:

`family_value_score = (100 - house_price_percentile) * 0.40 + schools_percentile * 0.25 + transport_percentile * 0.20 + crime_percentile * 0.15`

For wider national methodology and release context, see:

- `/family-liveability-index-2026/`
- `/methodology/`