Number one for economic health
Crawley is the number one place in the country for economic well-being, according to a new report.
The Santander UK Town and City Index rates Crawley first for prosperity, employment and favourable business conditions.
Overall the town is indexed fourth in the UK for enterprise, talent, connectivity, costs and well-being, behind Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh, and ahead of regional rivals Worthing (five) and Brighton (six).
The index was authored by Francis Greene, Business Professor at the University of Birmingham, who assessed business competitiveness across the UK.
Crawley was praised for its high number of start-ups which create favourable business conditions and increase competition in the marketplace.
On average the town has lost fewer businesses than elsewhere and employs a well-above average proportion of local people. Employment is therefore high meaning spending power is strong and businesses can draw upon a larger labour pool.
People are generally well-qualified which allows them to work at a wider range of niche businesses.
Competitive house prices are also advantageous because houses can be used as collateral for loans by people wanting to start up and expand their business.
High levels of well-being breeds more confident consumers and innovative business-people.
The only category Crawley scored poorly on was costs, which measures CO2 emissions, council tax bills, and house prices facing employees and employers who work in the area.
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Weather for Crawley
Sunday 19 May 2013
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Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 18 C
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Wind direction: North east
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