Watford and Hemel Hempstead named in Top 10 of Lambert Smith Hampton’s UK Vitality Index for 2023 – an annual health check of towns and cities outside of London, which indicates the country’s best places to live and work, with the strongest growth prospects.

Watford ranks 3^rd on the Top 10 list, preceded by Bath in 1^st place and Woking in 2^nd, with Hemel Hempstead ranking 7^th. Rounding out the Top 10 are: Windsor & Maidenhead, Highwycombe, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Cheltenham, and Bournemouth & Poole.

For a holistic approach to assessing the vitality of places, rankings are determined by a range of indicators that fall under three pillars: Economy & Business, Living, and Health & Environment.

Watford is notably the only town to be in the Top 10 across all three pillars. It ranked 7^th for Economy & Business, which includes indicators relating to jobs growth, wage growth, business density and more; 8^th for Living, which analyses education, lifestyle and consumption; and 6^th for Health & Environment, which looks at crime, cardiovascular mortality rate and green space per capita among other indicators.

Hemel Hempstead ranked 3^rd for Economy & Business, surpassed only by Manchester in 1^st place and Milton Keynes in 2^nd; and 5^th for Living, with its strongest scores coming from green space per capita, cardiovascular mortality and recycling rates.

The report notes that Watford and Hemel Hempstead are also the two biggest movers up the ranking in the Top 10, both powered by strong improvements in the Economy & Business indicators. This provides evidence that changes in work-life patterns caused by the pandemic have delivered an economic boon to satellite towns.

Neil Rutledge, Deputy Chair for Hertfordshire LEP, said: “To have two Hertfordshire towns in the Top 10 of the UK Vitality Index is a remarkable achievement for the county – one that reflects the hard work that has taken place locally, driven by a shared vision and strong leadership, to create desirable places for our residents to live, work, do business and enjoy.

“We are immensely proud of the incredible variety of towns and cities we have in Hertfordshire, and the key growth sectors we are nurturing that will continue to provide growth and employment opportunities for the county and its people.”

Peter Taylor, Elected Mayor of Watford and Hertfordshire LEP Board Member, said: "I am proud that Watford is being recognised across the UK as an outstanding place to live and do business. Ensuring Watford remains vibrant, with something for everyone, has always been top of my agenda.

“Through careful planning and investment – including in the town centre, parks, business facilities and arts and culture – we have seen the town continue to flourish. We showed tremendous resilience in our response to the pandemic, and now we are meeting the cost of living crisis head-on too, supporting our communities and continuing to move forward with opportunities which will make a lasting difference to the people and businesses of Watford."

James Doe, Strategic Director of Place at Dacorum Borough Council, said: “We’re extremely pleased and proud that Hemel Hempstead is the highest riser of any town or city in the top 10 of this report. It is clear evidence of the town’s progress, appeal and ever-growing reputation as a hub for business and as a place to live, while prioritising our residents’ health and doing all we can to tackle the climate emergency.

“We are committed to making the town, and the borough, even more attractive for our residents, visitors and to business. That is why the Hemel Place Board was formed – so that there is a strategic vision for the long-term future of Hemel Hempstead.”

Learn more about how Hertfordshire LEP has supported the development of Watford and Hemel Hempstead: LEP projects