Plymouth given good rating for quality of life

PLYMOUTH and Exeter have scored highly in a national league table for “growth’ cities.

- By WILLIAM TELFORD

PLYMOUTH and Exeter have scored highly in a national league table for “growth’ cities.

Both cities, and Bristol, have been placed in the top 10 annual Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index.

While Bristol received a high index score and is poised for high growth, Plymouth and Exeter were ranked differently. Both were given a high index score for the public’s priorities around quality of life, on such factors as housing, the high street and transport, but scored less well for economic growth.

The Index shows that the success of the South West is due to the cities’ performance on health, safety, jobs and high streets - although challenges remain around the house price-to-earnings ratio and, in Exeter and Plymouth, conditions for new businesses.

Economic growth forecasts split the South West, with Bristol, Bournemouth and Swindon expected to grow at or above the national average over the next two years. In Exeter and Plymouth, however, prospects for growth in 2025 and 2026 are weaker.

Despite scoring highly on the index, Plymouth, along with York, had weaker growth forecasts due to its reliance on slower-growing sectors such as manufacturing.

Nevertheless, Bristol was placed third, Exeter fourth and Plymouth sixth in a list of 50 cities, topped by York and then Edinburgh. Walsall was at the bottom of the list.