I think that if one took X weeks off work, and lived in a hut next to a UK flying school, one would knock off the PPL at a total cost not much higher than going to the USA.
IF you are lucky with the weather, that is. A big gamble, and that is why it is not advisable for somebody to do such a training block in the UK. People tend to fit the lessons between work etc and then it takes a year, usually.
If I was doing it all again, I would go to S California and do both the JAA and FAA PPLs are the same time. But I would do some other things differently, too
I don't know how the OP managed to spend £10,000 ($15,000 to $20,000 depending on when) on his U.S. PPL. He must have stayed in a
very nice hotel. My IR which took 2 weeks cost of the order of $3,000 and the motel was I think about $500 for 2 weeks.
Remember also there is no formal ground school in the UK PPL and
AFAIK not in the FAA one either (I did my FAA one in the UK; did only the IR in the USA). So providing students with CDs is not unusual. I don't recall having any significant ground school in the UK JAA PPL; a couple of instructors did a couple of evenings for ~ £10/person and the rest was swatting alone at home from the PPL Confuser. So this is quite normal.