All four Somerset districts have become less prosperous in the past 12 months, according to a new report.
The United Kingdom Prosperity Report 2021 published by the Legatum Institute ranks the 379 local authorities across the United Kingdom according to 12 key measures.
They cover crime, personal freedom, local democracy, family and social relationships, the economy, quality of life, health, education and the environment.
Despite a drop in the last 12 months, all four parts of Somerset are deemed to be somewhat more prosperous than they were in 2010.
The 12 factors assessed in the report were:
- Safety and security
- Personal freedom
- Quality of governance
- Social capital
- The investment environment
- Enterprise conditions
- Infrastructure
- Economic quality
- Living conditions
- Health
- Education
- The natural environment
Mendip (which includes Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Street and Wells) ranked highest out of the four districts, being placed 107th out of 329 councils – three places higher than Bristol.
This is a sharp rise from 2010, when it was placed 150th – but is a drop from 2020, when it was ranked 78th, and it ranked in the bottom 20 for infrastructure.
Sedgemoor (which includes Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Cheddar and Highbridge) is the next highest Somerset authority, finishing 125th – just below Swindon.
This is a slight rise from its 2010 ranking of 139th – but a drop from its 2020 position of 92nd, and it finished in the bottom 50 for education.
Next comes South Somerset (which includes Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, Wincanton and Yeovil), finishing in 140th position – just a few places below the relatively affluent South Hams area of Devon.
This is a rise from 2010 (when it placed 162nd), but again a drop from 2020 (when it found itself in 113th place) – and like Mendip, it scored very poorly on its local infrastructure.
Somerset West and Taunton (which includes Minehead, Taunton and Wellington) was ranked 147th out of 379 councils – just above the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.
This is a rise from 193rd in 2010 – but a drop from 112th place in 2020 (with the figures for the previous Taunton Deane and West Somerset being averaged together).
The top-ranked UK authority is Wokingham in Surrey, with Blackpool in Lancashire being at the bottom for the second year in a row.
The south west ranks second behind the south east in the list of regions, coming out top for safety and security but last for infrastructure, with 25 of the 30 local authorities in the top half of the index.
It is regarded has strong institutions, social capital and health, and relatively low rates of poverty compared to other parts of the country.
A spokesman for the Legatum Institute said: "Its major weakness is economic: local employers face skill shortages, there is a lack of adequate infrastructure, and financial pressures on local councils are increasing."
The index was set up to help drive the government's levelling up agenda by providing an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of every region and local authority area.
The report states the UK is the 13th most prosperous nation in the world, with national prosperity increasing from 2010 to a peak in 2018 – but since then, every region outside London has seen a small decline.
A spokesman said: "Overall, the UK is continuing to build a strong and open economy. It has achieved big improvements in the quality of its infrastructure, labour force engagement and competitiveness.
"But these gains are currently being undermined by a deterioration in several specific areas: in the quality of conditions for local enterprise, which are needed to bolster business dynamism and entrepreneurialism; in the safety and security of communities, which are struggling with increasing violent crime; in the physical and mental health of people; in key indicators of social capital, including weaker family relationships, evidenced by an increase in looked after children; and, to a lesser extent, in the quality of local governance."
The report also warns that the national conversation about 'levelling up' is too simplistic, with wide variations between and within regions.
It added: "Prosperity is currently being undermined by factors that lie outside of the traditional focus on 'bridges and trains'.
"These include a decline in the safety and security of communities due to rising violent crime, a deterioration in people's mental and physical health, an erosion of social capital, including fraying family relationships, weakening enterprise conditions, a loss of public trust in institutions and deteriorating local democracy."
By Daniel Mumby - Local Democracy Reporter
