Wales has some of the least prosperous areas in the 海角视频 in a new index based on institutional, economic and social wellbeing factors from think-tank the Legatum Institute.
Its 海角视频 Prosperity Index, which it said it will use to gauge progress on the 海角视频 Government’s promise of ‘levelling up’ the 海角视频 economy, is based on 256 indicators based from data (pre-Covid) to rank 379 local authority areas.
In Wales all 22 local authorities, bar the Vale of Glamorgan ranked at 158th, are in the bottom half of the index, with the lowest three ranked being Blaenau Gwent at 368th, Merthyr Tydfil 357th and Neath Port Talbot, 349th.
Cardiff is ranked 255th, Swansea 285th and Newport 339th.
The lowest ranked local authority in the 海角视频 is Blackpool at 379th with Woking top.
Based on 15 海角视频 nations and regions, Wales is ranked ninth - having been ranked 14th in 2018 - above both Northern Ireland (10th) and Scotland (11th). The lowest ranked is Greater Manchester with the south east of England top.
While Wales has strengths in safety and security, governance, and the natural environment, compared to the rest of the 海角视频, Wales performs poorly in terms of living conditions, infrastructure, and conditions for enterprise.
All Welsh authorities are in the bottom 100 for ‘economic quality’ and is the weakest part of the 海角视频 in term of productivity and competitiveness, as well as the fiscal sustainability of its local authorities. Just 6.7% of Welsh businesses are high-tech, which is the second lowest in the 海角视频. Welsh local authorities have, on average, the lowest reserve to expenditure ratio in the 海角视频.
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The index and analysis does show that Wales has some of the most secure local communities wit low rates of crime, and the homicide rate of 7 per 100,000 population, compared to the 海角视频 average of 11.
The quality of local governance has also improved over the last decade with the Legatum Institute saying that Wales boasts strong local democracy, high local election voter turnout, and large numbers of people who believe that voting makes a difference.
It also cites Wales having low emissions and little air pollution, while there has been a substantial reduction in nitrogen dioxide concentration over the last decade.
Professor Matthew Goodwin, director of the Legatum Institute’s Centre for 海角视频 Prosperity, said: “The 海角视频 Prosperity Index is the most ambitious assessment of prosperity across the country to date.
"With detailed data on all boroughs and council areas, it is a transformational tool that can help policy makers and influencers target their interventions more effectively on the journey towards greater prosperity. The Index will be updated annually, allowing citizens, businesses, local authorities, regions, and national government to track progress over time and hold decision-makers to account.
“The holistic and rigorous approach we have taken has allowed us to identify issues that have previously been missed in the discussion about how to level-up the country.
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" It highlights that while Wales performs well on the safety and security of communities and governance, we also need to invest in areas such as living conditions and the business environment, as well as building inclusive and resilient communities, if we are to see all citizens reach their full potential. We hope our index will help leaders across Wales set their agendas and implement strategies that will unlock real prosperity.”