Swindon ranks among best performing UK areas in new report
It's ahead of London, Manchester, Oxford and Reading
A new report into growth in major towns and cities has found that Swindon is beating many of it's larger rivals.
The borough was ranked fourth in this year’s Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index, beating the likes of London, Birmingham and Manchester - as well as being ahead of neighbours Oxford and Reading.
The index ranks 51 of the UK's biggest areas, generally those with a population of over 350,000 people and is based on the public’s assessment of 12 economic measures, including jobs, health, income, safety and skills, as well as work-life balance, housing, travel-to-work times, income equality, high street shops, business start-ups .and the environment.
Matt Griffiths from Business West told Greatest Hits Radio that Swindon has always punched above it's weight.
He said: "It's kind of been an outstanding economic success, but it's always got kind of gone under the radar compared to some of its kind of more glamorous counterparts.
"But if you actually look at the statistics in terms of the economic productivity of a place for the quality of jobs, the diversity of jobs and the sheer value of those jobs, then it, you know, Swindon actually beats Bristol. It beats Oxford, it beats Cambridge."
He says the town needs to be more confident than it is, saying: "It likes to beat itself up a bit. It doesn't understand how successful it is."
Matt told us the influx of major companies such as BMW and Apple is going to drive jobs in the town while the price of houses against other towns is going to bring more people to the area.
"Swindon's house prices are half those of Oxford and it's 30 minutes away. it's the biggest gap between house prices, think, in the country by based by distance.
"I think people are starting to notice and think, look, if this government and investors can get their act together and invest in the town centre, then I think you're not just will have a big success story for those companies on the outskirts of Swindon. I think there's a real potential for a success in the town centre where people notice it," Matt said.
All of this Matt believes, is reason for the people of Swindon to feel optimistic about the future.
He said: "Swindon has a really good attitude, it wants to make things happen and it's the kind of place where things do happen. So I think it's got a really bright future.
"If I was a betting man, I'd say you're gonna see more investment in the town centre. And I think the government is interested in that. And I think we've seen some seeds there."