Woking once again recognised as one of best places to live and do business
8 February 2024
Woking has been ranked one of the UK’s best places to live and work in the annual UK Vitality Index 2024 – the fourth consecutive year the town has featured in the top three.
Compiled by Lambert Smith Hampton, the ‘definitive health check on the UK’s towns and cities’ assesses locations outside London to identify the best places to live, work and do business, in addition to those with the highest growth potential.
Outperforming the likes of Milton Keynes, Edinburgh and last year’s winner Bath, Woking narrowly missed out on top spot to Watford, coming second in rankings for the country’s best prospects across a range of indicators including the economy, business, health and environment.
Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, Leader of Woking Borough Council, said: “I’m proud that for the fourth consecutive year, Woking has been recognised as one of the best places to live and work in the UK.
“This success once again underlines the strengths of our borough and reinforces Woking’s reputation as Surrey’s hub for economic growth and job creation, all in a desirable location which puts health, quality of life and our environment at its heart.
“I am particularly proud that Woking has for the third successive year topped the Health and Environment indicator, with low levels of cardiovascular mortality and high scores for life satisfaction, green spaces and high recycling rates.”
“Despite Woking’s well documented financial issues, this council remains commitment to making Woking a place where businesses choose to locate and people aspire to live.”
Woking also performed well in the Economy and Business indicator, with the borough climbing two spots to seventh nationally, a rise credited to its improved wage growth score.
Now in its eleventh edition, the UK Vitality Index 2024 takes a broad, holistic approach to assessing the vitality of UK towns and cities.
Forming the main Vitality Index, each location was ranked across three pillars: Economy and Business, Living, and Health and Environment. The results across these 18 data sets reveal Woking as the second-ranked location for overall vitality.
Popular for its wealth of green spaces, vibrant and diverse communities, Woking has a growing population of more than 100,000 and is a major draw for its strong retail and leisure offer for many visitors.
Woking is home to Italia Conti, one of the world’s oldest and most respected performing arts institutions; international motor racing and automotive group, McLaren; global theatre and live entertainment business, Ambassador Theatre Group; as well as the Gordon Ramsay Academy, the renowned chef’s cookery academy, and his restaurant, Gordon Ramsay Street Burger.
