Northampton is the best place in the UK to start and run a business, according to new research from Experian.
The information services company rated the towns and cities across the UK on four criteria: the number of start-ups; rate of insolvencies; the level of financial health; and turnover growth compared with 2012. Northampton had the highest overall score, closely followed by Southall in south east London, Aberdeen and Bristol, reports The Telegraph.
Towns in the South of England accounted for 65 per cent of the top 20, with only Crewe and York representing the North, while from Scotland, only Aberdeen made the top ranking. There were no top 20 entries from Wales or Northern Ireland.
London performed well in the overall index (particularly the South East, West Central and East Central areas) but the outlying areas of Southall, Croydon, Kingston-Upon-Thames and Sutton outperformed the capital.
However, London does feature the highest proportion of start-ups. East London saw the highest rate of start-ups; 24.5 per cent of firms in the area started up in the last two years – more than twice the national average of 11.6 per cent.
“This study highlights that business conditions are starting to show real signs of recovery, not just for the capital but in towns across the UK,” said Max Firth, managing director of Experian Business Information Services, UK&I. “It is encouraging to see signs of positivity from areas like Northampton, Bristol and Aberdeen with a strong upward trend in the creation of locally formed businesses and the success of those companies.”
