William Eichler 19 February 2018

Key factors for making local area ‘thrive’ revealed

A Bristol-based charity launched a new report today into the key factors that make up a ‘thriving’ local area - and it goes beyond a narrow focus on gross domestic product.

GDP is the traditional way of measuring development in a country, region or city. It is a monetary measure of the market value of all final goods and services produced within a given period.

However, it has been criticised for being a very narrow way of assessing development. At last month’s World Economic Forum, for example, the economist Diane Coyle criticised its disregard for environmental impacts.

Oxfam also published a report recently which revealed that 82% of all the wealth created in 2017 went to the top 1% of earners.

The Bristol charity Happy City has published a comprehensive analysis into how well local authorities are doing at creating the conditions needed for people to thrive.

The Thriving Places Index goes beyond GDP and argues thriving places require investment in a range of areas, including mental and physical health, work and the local economy, education and learning opportunities, the qualities of the place and its environment, and the connections between people and community.

It assesses data from 150 councils in England against three main categories: local conditions, sustainability, and equality. These are supported by 48 separate indicators including health, education, and work.

Overall it revealed stark divides between the North and the South, and between urban and rural areas.

It found the North East was the lowest performing for local conditions and sustainability, as well as the second lowest for equality. It also found all 11 local authorities with the lowest scores for local conditions are urban.

Three local authorities in the South East of England - Wokingham, Buckinghamshire and Surrey - top the table for local conditions. London boroughs Tower Hamlets, Newham and Luton form the top three for sustainability.

However, Bath & North East Somerset is the highest scoring local authority overall as the only area to achieve an above average score for all three main indicators.

‘We are ten years on from an economic crisis that highlighted fatal flaws at the heart of our economy, yet we haven’t seen the systemic changes needed to tackle them,’ said Liz Zeidler, founding director of Happy City.

‘Rising inequality and climate chaos are clear alarm bells that tell us the current system is no longer fit for purpose, so we decided to take matters into our own hands and come up with a model that measures what matters.

‘The Index is a practical tool, that can be used right now, to help leaders who want to ensure the sum of their efforts - in every sector - is a better quality of life for people now and in the future.’ Link: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/hcindex-files/docs/THRIVING_PLACES_INDEX_FULL_REPORT_FINAL.pdf

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

KS2 Class Teacher

Durham County Council
£31,650 - £43,607
KS2 Class Teacher   M1 – M6     £31,650 - £43,607 Full Time, Whole Time Temporary – required from 1st September 2025 until 31st August 2026  The head Bowburn
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Deputy Manager, Children’s Homes Service

Durham County Council
Grade 11 £39,513 - £43,693
The Role We are seeking Deputy Managers who will support the Registered Manager to ensure the delivery of high-quality care. You will work directly wi Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Independent Reviewing Officer

Durham County Council
Grade 14 £48,710 - £52,805 pro rata
Are you a child and family social worker with 5 years of post-qualifying experience looking for the next step of your career?   What is Involved? As a Spennymoor
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Class Teacher

Durham County Council
£31,650 - £43,607
Class Teacher M1-M6  £31,650 - £43,607 Full time, whole time Temporary – required from 2nd September 2025 until August 2026 The governors of Escomb P Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

School Crossing Patrol

Durham County Council
Grade 1 £3,968 (approx.) £12.45 per hour
Join our School Crossing Patrol Service! Are you punctual and reliable? Do you have good communication skills and a strong sense of community spirit? Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner