WILTSHIRE is the most vibrant place in the west of England according to a new research project.

Analysis from a financial advisor has revealed that the county is the highest-performing in the region for economic and social growth, just ahead of Bath.

Swindon had the highest prosperity score in the region, which was based on factors such as business turnover and average weekly pay, putting it ahead of Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire.

The Vibrant Economy Index was created by Grant Thornton UK LLP to provide a tool that will help identify the opportunities for and the challenges to social and economic growth across the nation. The results were calculated using 52 different performance indicators including prosperity, health, happiness and opportunity.

These also include economic measures which are combined with data around fuel poverty, obesity levels, air quality and crime rates to give a picture of how a place is performing economically and socially.

]The 324 English local authority areas were measured by key factors in each performance indicator and awarded an overall ‘vibrancy’ score, with 100 being the average.

Areas in the West of England as a whole performed better than the national average when compared to other regions in the UK which were analysed for the Index. Overall, Wiltshire came in 20th place.

The results were published ahead of Grant Thornton’s Live Lab event on March 1 at At-Bristol, where influencers and leaders from private, public and third sectors will discuss how to work together and improve important skills in the west.

Grant Thornton Partner John Panteli said: “The West of England is a fantastic place to live and work, but the Vibrant Economy Index has indicated that opportunities for growth still lie in the region.

"The Live Lab event will help us to consider the West of England’s strengths and explore how we can work together to build on what gives the region its competitive edge.

“We have an ambitious aim for the day, tackling how we can help educate, train, attract and retain the people with the skills that the West of England needs to grow.”