Slough

has been named among the top places to do business in the country.

The town was ranked 13th in Management Today’s 21 Best Towns and Cities for Business 2019 report, which ranks the UK’s major urban centres, barring London, on how appealing they are as places to set up shop.

Focusing on the needs of mid-to-large, talent-hungry, high-productivity firms, the judges examined towns and cities on various metrics including productivity, the depth of the talent pool, the strength of innovation, the scale of the private sector ecosystem and the rate of growth.

In total, 63 of the country’s biggest towns and cities were assessed, all vying for a place in the top 21 shortlist.

The report said: “Slough now boasts the youngest population in the UK, with the education system producing results in the top ten nationally. It has more corporate headquarters than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland put together, a strong manufacturing base and an impressive business start-up rate.

“The town is just 15 minutes from London Paddington (with Crossrail due in 2020), three motorways are within easy reach and Heathrow is on the doorstep.

“The Slough Urban Renewal project has brought leisure facilities, homes and a new cultural centre, while plans for the future include a mixed-use redevelopment in the heart of Slough costing over £300m.

“Slough is the most productive urban area in the UK (Centre for Cities, 2019) and home to the largest trading estate in Europe – 500 businesses employing 20,000 employees.”

Cllr Martin Carter, cabinet member for inclusive growth and skills, said: “In amongst a list of huge cities, Slough punches way above its weight in the business world.

“We are delighted to be part of this list and to showcase Slough on a national and world stage.

“Slough is constantly improving with lots of exciting things in the pipeline, including inward investment, large scale regeneration bringing more homes, office space and leisure and improvements to our transport infrastructure including Crossrail, which will continue to make Slough more attractive to new business.”