PWC’s annual index of economic well being in UK cities, “Good Growth for Cities 2016” has placed Oxford at number one.
The “Good Growth for Cities” index measures the performance of a range of the largest UK cities and Local Enterprise Partnership areas. It is based on the views of the public and businesses on key economic successes and wellbeing. These include employment, health, income, skills, housing affordability, commuting times, environmental factors, income inequality and new business start-ups.
The report highlights Oxford’s continued strong performance and confirms that the city supports a well-balanced, fast growing economy that creates new businesses with high-quality jobs, underpinned by the success and growth of larger employers. It also shows that Oxford was not affected as negatively by the last recession as many places and has recovered better than many.
Councillor Bob Price, Leader of Oxford City Council, said: “This analysis, by a leading consultancy, looks beyond simple economic growth figures with a balanced assessment of the quality of life, covering jobs, incomes, health, skills, transport, housing and social equalities.
“Oxford's top placing reflects the city's success in creating many thousands of new jobs in the last decade and the improvements in the services provided by the NHS and local authorities. The analysis also shows that Oxfordshire's Local Enterprise Partnership is the most successful in the country in delivering good growth. For the City Council, this report is a very welcome sign that our aspiration to create a happy, sustainable and healthy community for all our citizens is going in the right direction.”
Whilst housing affordability, transport and work-life balance attracted a lower ranking, the Council will continue to work with its partners to address these.
To read the full PWC report visit: http://www.pwc.co.uk/goodgrowth
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