Birmingham is the lowest ranked conurbation in the Midlands for economic performance and quality of life, according to a survey of 39 of the UK’s cities.
The Good Growth For Cities report, produced by PwC and think tank Demos, showed cities in the Midlands performed well in terms of housing and transport, health, and work-life balance.
However, there was room for improvement on jobs, income and skills.
Leicester was the highest ranking city in the Midlands at 11th, followed by Coventry in 12th place and the only Midlands city to have an average or above average score on all 11 measures. Birmingham was ranked the lowest at 32nd but this was consistent with the report’s finding that generally the largest UK’s cities perform less well overall on the index.
Mark Smith, regional chairman at PwC in the Midlands, said: “Good growth is in everyone’s interest. To support good growth we need good jobs, ones that give satisfaction, flexibility and income sufficient to live on.
“It’s good to see the Midlands performing so strongly as a region, especially in terms of housing and transport infrastructure, and quality of life indicators such as health and work-life balance. But it is clear to see impact that jobs have on a city’s position.
“It’s important that each city in the Midlands has a growth plan that’s linked to its own distinctive local assets, built on a clear vision of their selling points. Competitiveness is coming down to not just how cities attract financial investment, people and skills, but speeding up their response to changing business, resident or investor requirements.”
Top performing cities in the UK were Reading in first place, followed by Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
