Performing strongly across many categories in the index, Reading moved upwards to joint first position in the most productive category, climbed to joint third position in the most entrepreneurial category and maintained its appearance in the top 10 for most highly educated.

Reading has a firm position near the top of the leader board due to its sophisticated mix of retail, leisure, office and industrial offerings and its retail mall is one of the top ten in the world. The infrastructure investment that is occurring at present will ensure it is set to retain this position, and most likely improve on it, in the years to come.

Tom Fletcher, Head of Office for Lambert Smith Hampton, Reading, explains: “Reading is thriving and sentiment is running high, driving investment and economic expansion. The £850 million improvements to the railway station, future Crossrail plans, improved accessibility to Heathrow and road works are all measurably benefitting the town.

“We are seeing a migration of talent to the area, particularly from London, which is improving an already skilled workforce and this is largely due to it being a quality environment in which to live and work. Add to this the investment opportunities that are being seized here and it is easy to see that Reading’s future is extremely bright.”

The top 10 towns and cities in the 2015 UK Vitality Index are:
1.            Guildford
2.            Cambridge
3.            Brighton
4.            Reading
5.            Warwick
6.            St Albans
7.            Milton Keynes
8.            Oxford
9.            Edinburgh
10.          York

READ FULL VITALITY INDEX HERE

Data calculation
The ‘UK Vitality Index’ assesses the UK’s largest towns and cities outside London to provide a health check, identifying which have the most robust economies, are best positioned to support growth and will provide the greatest opportunities for businesses to expand.

The results are based on the analysis of 20 datasets, with each city ranked within six separate categories: most productive, fastest growing, most entrepreneurial, best educated, greenest and most affluent.