I am proud to be the Member of Parliament representing Basingstoke. Our town is a wonderful place to live, full of opportunities for businesses and families – so much so that research conducted by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council showed that 95% of local residents in the borough said they liked where they live, not surprising given our thriving community.
Micro-sized businesses are now the foundation on which our local economy is based – 90.7% of our 7,950 businesses employ ten or fewer people, meaning that we have many small enterprises run by local people, employing local people. And this large number of local businesses helps Basingstoke have one of the highest number of residents in work in the country. Our employment rate in 2021 was 85.3%, which is also higher than the South East of England.
In 2020, Basingstoke and Deane contributed £6.7 billion to the UK economy which is not only higher than any other district in Hampshire, but also shows the important part that we in Basingstoke play nationally. More recent figures show we are now contributing £7.9 billion. Residents here earn more on average too - £33,983 compared to £31,490 in England. The strength of our economy is based on its diversity, supporting 86,000 jobs and a highly skilled workforce.
Investors see our talent and potential too – Festival Place was purchased for £280 million and Network Rail has made Basingstoke their regional operating and national training centre, among many other projects.
Basingstoke is ranked the fourth best place in the UK for investing in growing technology companies according to Tech Radar in 2019, and the 2020 Halifax Quality of Life survey named Basingstoke as one of the top 50 places to live in the country.
It's clear that Basingstoke is a fantastic place to do business, but living here is not all about the economy. We also have a thriving local community with so many groups doing fantastic work – we are diverse and celebrate all cultures and religions.
I have the privilege to live in, work in and represent one of the most successful towns in the country and I will continue to do all I can to make things even better for every resident.