Wiltshire is the most resilient and sustainable area of England, according to new analysis – but it lags behind many other parts of the country when it comes to inclusion, equality and prosperity.
The county is ranked first out of 324 local authority areas for ‘resilience and sustainability’ in a major research project by accountancy group Grant Thornton. 
Swindon came 40th but scores higher than Wiltshire for its prosperity – coming in at 20th out of the whole of England against Wiltshire’s 103rd place. Prosperity is measured in the report by the ability of an area to produce wealth and create jobs.
Grant Thornton’s Vibrant Economy Index provides an indication of social performance as well as economic, and measures how towns and cities compare on a range of factors from prosperity to health, wellbeing and happiness, and dynamism and opportunity.
All England’s local authority areas were measured by key factors in each performance indicator and awarded an overall ‘vibrancy’ score
Wiltshire’s top ranking in the resilience and sustainability index was helped by factors such its air quality, recycling rate, Co2 emissions and energy consumption.
In the table as a whole Wiltshire ranks at 20th while Swindon is at 61. Swindon scores relatively highly – in 47th place – for its dynamism and opportunity, which assesses how entrepreneurial and innovative its economy is and whether its population has skill sets that can drive future growth. Wiltshire is listed at 61st place in this category.
Swindon comes in at 137th place for its community, trust and belonging, which measures whether it has a lively and creative cultural life, and a clear identity that all its people are proud of. Wiltshire is at 69
