Cardiff and Swansea are among the most-improved cities according to to the latest PwC Good Growth for Cities Index, which measures some of the largest UK cities against ten indicators chosen by the public and business to demonstrate economic success and wellbeing.

Employment, health, income and skills are the most important factors, while housing affordability, commuting times, environmental factors and income inequality are also included in the index, as well as business start-ups.

Bradford topped the most-improved table, with Cardiff fifth and Swansea sixth.

The two Welsh cities on the index perform particularly well on:

• Transport, scoring above the national average and witnessing an absolute increase in score compared to last year.
• Owner occupation, scoring at or above the national average, despite absolute decreases in index scores.
• Income distribution, where both cities scored above the national average.

Cardiff is ranked 28th on the 42-city index. Its biggest increase since the 2015-17 index was in new businesses, while the rise in the cost of housing relative to earnings was its biggest negative score – though it remains one of the better performers on the index for this measure.

Swansea’s biggest increase since the 2015-17 index was in income distribution; its biggest fall was in owner occupation. Swansea, in particular, has benefited from continued improvements in most local authorities’ unemployment rates with a large impact on its jobs scores.

One piece of good news is that housing in Swansea is more affordable than before – one of only five places where this happened (from 2015-17 to 2016-18).

For the fourth year running, the two highest performing UK cities on 2019 index are Oxford and Reading, with Southampton, Bristol and Milton Keynes rounding out the top five.

John-Paul Barker, PwC’s West and Wales regional leader, commented:

“I’m delighted to see that Cardiff and Swansea are two of the most improved cities making some positive improvements since last year’s index. While their overall rankings still feature in the lower half of the index, the momentum has been established to build on the positive initiatives created to ensure that both cities remain good places to live and work.

“The progress made by cities across the South West and Wales is to be welcomed, but also presents some challenges. It is critical that the local authorities and their partners in this area continue to focus on their approach to managing rapid growth, ensuring that its benefits are distributed fairly across all sections of society.”

Ben Pykett, Local Public Services Director, commented:

“This year’s data highlights the importance of focussing on the things that make their local area unique as a means of delivering tangible improvements in cities across the UK.

“In the most successful examples, local leaders are using detailed data sets to generate real insight about the needs of communities, residents, businesses and visitors. They are able to tell compelling stories about what makes their areas special and how this could be used as a basis for further improvement in the future.

“In some areas, public, private and community and voluntary organisations have begun to align their delivery plans to address their specific challenges and opportunities. In most places, more could be done to structure the way in which place planning and delivery is undertaken.”

PwC partner and local government leader Jonathan House commented:

“In an era of political, technological and environmental disruption, cities and regions that want to get ahead, need to do things differently. Even with the uncertainty of Brexit, over the last year, local leaders have had significant success in delivering good growth in their cities and regions. Our research shows the need to take a comprehensive approach to growth, focusing on improving productivity to compete on a global stage, but also on ensuring fairness and inclusive growth so that people and places don’t feel left behind.

“Local leaders need to take a broad view on what economic success means, focusing on the outcomes they want to achieve in terms of inclusive growth, community resilience and improved experience, and crucially, having a plan to translate those ambitions into reality.

“Skills among the working age population, alongside the number of new businesses created, have seen the largest improvements; this is a result of leaders focusing on building new opportunities and investing in the talent of their city and region.

“The UK’s cities are known globally for their skills, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. Our most successful cities don’t compete against other UK cities, they compete against cities across Europe, the Middle East and the US. As the UK’s position on the world stage shifts, cities and regions will need to reposition themselves too, and consider how they can stand out and compete globally, improve productivity and support innovation, while also creating places that are fair and inclusive. ”