Milton Keynes is the fifth-highest performing town in the UK, a recent report has found.

The Demos-PWC Good Growth for Cities Index ranks 50 UK cities against 12 economic factors, including jobs, income and housing.

Milton Keynes scored above average on seven of the 12 factors, and its economy had an above-average growth rate of 7.4% in 2021.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Robin Bradburn, Cabinet Member for Economy, Recovery and Renewal, said: “I’m so proud of our local businesses, entrepreneurs and residents who have all helped our city recover as well as we have from the pandemic.

This is a great achievement, and as a Council we will continue to do all we can to make sure our local economy continues to recover and grow.”

Milton Keynes Council has invested over £3 million in an Economic Recovery Plan that has so far helped over 900 businesses and 2,350 residents.

Some of the economic support measures include:

• The Diamond Resilience Programme, which provides specialist support and training to 100 small and medium size businesses on how to bounce back after COVID. 
• The Council’s partnership with the Love Local Hub in centre:MK which provides support to 100 female entrepreneurs – the Hub has already made over £340,000 worth of sales.
• A Council partnership with MK ACT, a charity that helps people escape domestic violence, to support 100 women regain economic independence.

Councillor Pete Marland, Labour Leader of the Council, added: “It was our priority at the Council for Milton Keynes to have a strong, prosperous and fair recovery from the pandemic, and reports like this show how our city is achieving that.”