Darlington leads the way for growth
Continued investment in Darlington has made it one of the fastest growing town's in the North of England according to new research.
The latest regional GVA breakdown by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) ranks Darlington as the best performing town in the North East.
According to the research, the town’s workplace based GVA per head of £23,745 outperformed the regional average of £18,216.
The ONS bases its calculations on income generated by individuals and businesses producing goods and services which have both grown rapidly.
The research shows the town’s booming business services and wholesale and retail sectors helped buck the trend, making the largest contribution to the growth.
Bill Dixon, leader of Darlington Borough Council, told BQ: “We’re delighted to see that Darlington has been named as the best performing economy in the North East for the second time in as many months.
“These positive GVA figures provided by the ONS are testament to the continued investment in the town and the hard work of many people, to bring a number of major projects and developments to fruition.
“We’re not resting on our laurels in Darlington though, we have exciting plans for future developments in the pipeline, which we’re currently exploring with our partners”
Nationally, London recorded the biggest increase in GVA in 2014 with growth of 5.3% and Northern Ireland the lowest, at 1.9%.
BQ’s Mike Hughes recently published an entire BQ2 in association with Lingfield Point looking at the recent growth in the town.
You can read the magazine here.