Northampton given low ranking in UK-wide prosperity survey

Northampton is one of the lowest ranked local authorities for education standards and health according to a new UK-wide survey.
Northampton Town CentreNorthampton Town Centre
Northampton Town Centre

The Legatum Institute has analysed a number of factors in the 389 districts of the country, such as unemployment rate, child poverty and average salary.

The results of the survey show Northampton is ranked 348th for prosperity, defined as the wealth and happiness of residents.

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The town scores particularly badly for education (339th) and safety and security (362th), which is based on how safe people feel walking the streets and levels of theft and violent crime.

Northampton is the sixth worst local authority for prosperity in the county, only above Wellingborough, ranked 353rd.

East Northamptonshire is the highest ranked in the county, 132nd, followed by South Northamptonshire, 159th, Daventry, 230th, Kettering, 235th, and Corby 340th.

Alexandra Mousavizadeh, from the Legatum Institute, said the UK Prosperity Index showed a significant negative relationship between prosperity and the share of the Leave vote in the recent EU referendum.

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She said: “The recent referendum result made clear that a large proportion of Britons feel left behind by globalisation—that, for them, aspiration and opportunity have been extinguished. They are right.

“Those areas that voted to leave the EU were far more likely to be areas that prosperity has passed by, areas for which the country is not working. In particular, the absence of opportunity and sense of despondency stand out in the index as predictors of a high Brexit vote share.

“These are areas where people earn less, say they are struggling to get by on their income, and are more likely to have health problems or no qualifications.”

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