British cities more competitive - survey

Resurgence in the competitiveness of Britain's cities is under way, according to new evidence just published. The UK Competitiveness Index, a measure of the competitiveness of UK regions and locations that has been running since 2000, shows significant improvements in the competitiveness of a number of the UK's cities and urban areas, especially those located in northern regions.

The Index is published by the Centre for International Competitiveness at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff.

The North West of England has seen the biggest improvement in competitiveness since 2006, largely due to the improved performance of Liverpool, Manchester, and Salford.

Liverpool and Salford have both risen 44 places on a competitiveness ranking of 407 locations, with Manchester rising 24 places. Strong gains are also made by York (up 32 places), Darlington (up 73 places), and Durham (up 66 places). Other cities showing marked competitiveness growth are Derby (up 26 places), Leicester (up 54 places), Norwich (up 51 places), Peterborough (up 41 places), and Plymouth (up 32 places).

Britain's most competitive city is Guildford, followed by St Albans and Cambridge. The least competitive cities are Hull, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, and Swansea. However, with the exception of Swansea, all have shown improvement.

Competitiveness in rural areas has suffered over the last 12 months, the survey found.

Read the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, news release.

Roger Milne

4th September 2008