[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"authority-ashford":3},{"authority":4,"scoredCount":14,"pillars":15,"ranks":53,"averages":61,"peers":63,"rankLine":102,"countyIsDistinct":21,"content":103,"contentMeta":135,"dataFrom":138,"dataTo":139,"dataChangedAt":140},{"slug":5,"name":6,"county":7,"regionName":8,"region":9,"councilName":10,"activeCompanies":11,"score":12,"halfRange":13},"ashford","Ashford","Kent","South East","south-east","Ashford Council",8877,969,12,361,[16,27,36,44],{"key":17,"name":18,"colourVar":19,"compositeWeight":20,"shown":21,"score":22,"halfRange":23,"rank":24,"rankOf":14,"outperforms":25,"topPercent":26},"innovation","Innovation","--pillar-innovation",0.3,true,967,17,203,43.8,75,{"key":28,"name":29,"colourVar":30,"compositeWeight":20,"shown":21,"score":31,"halfRange":32,"rank":33,"rankOf":34,"outperforms":35,"topPercent":26},"scaling","Scaling","--pillar-scaling",985,23,228,360,36.7,{"key":37,"name":38,"colourVar":39,"compositeWeight":20,"shown":21,"score":40,"halfRange":41,"rank":42,"rankOf":34,"outperforms":43,"topPercent":26},"investment","Investment","--pillar-investment",943,26,181,49.7,{"key":45,"name":46,"colourVar":47,"compositeWeight":48,"shown":21,"score":49,"halfRange":50,"rank":51,"rankOf":14,"outperforms":52,"topPercent":26},"esg","ESG","--pillar-esg",0.1,1010,19,184,49,{"national":54,"region":55,"county":58},215,{"rank":56,"of":57},47,64,{"rank":59,"of":60},7,13,{"county":22,"region":62},1003,[64,69,73,77,81,85,89,90,94,98],{"slug":65,"name":66,"score":67,"isCurrent":68},"dover","Dover",1023,false,{"slug":70,"name":71,"score":72,"isCurrent":68},"canterbury","Canterbury",994,{"slug":74,"name":75,"score":76,"isCurrent":68},"tunbridge-wells","Tunbridge Wells",991,{"slug":78,"name":79,"score":80,"isCurrent":68},"tonbridge-and-malling","Tonbridge and Malling",981,{"slug":82,"name":83,"score":84,"isCurrent":68},"maidstone","Maidstone",975,{"slug":86,"name":87,"score":88,"isCurrent":68},"sevenoaks","Sevenoaks",974,{"slug":5,"name":6,"score":12,"isCurrent":21},{"slug":91,"name":92,"score":93,"isCurrent":68},"swale","Swale",964,{"slug":95,"name":96,"score":97,"isCurrent":68},"thanet","Thanet",955,{"slug":99,"name":100,"score":101,"isCurrent":68},"folkestone-and-hythe","Folkestone and Hythe",950,"215th of 361 authorities nationally",{"heroSummary":104,"intro":105,"pillarCommentary":109,"compareSummary":114,"faqs":115,"metaDescription":134},"Ashford scores 969 on the UK Local Growth Index, placing it 215th of 361 local authorities and 31 points below the UK benchmark. It sits 2 points above the Kent average and 34 points below the South East regional average. ESG is the only pillar where Ashford's companies score above the UK benchmark.",[106,107,108],"The composite score of 969 is built from four pillars: Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG, weighted at 30%, 30%, 30% and 10% respectively.","Each score is calculated as an average across the 8,877 active companies in the authority, with corporate groups counted once. That averaging means a smaller authority with highly active companies can outscore a larger one, making the index a fair comparison between authorities of very different sizes.","The UK benchmark is set at 1,000, so a score of 969 means Ashford's companies, on average, sit slightly below the national level across these measures. Every published score comes with a likely range showing how much it could move with a slightly different mix of companies; Ashford's composite range of 957 to 981 is narrow enough to rely on.",{"innovation":110,"scaling":111,"investment":112,"esg":113},"Innovation captures patents, academic spinouts, R&D grant value, innovative sector tags and IS-8 sector classification. Ashford ranks 203rd of 361 authorities on this pillar, scoring 967, which is 33 points below the UK benchmark, suggesting that companies here are somewhat less active on these innovation signals than the national average.","Scaling measures whether companies meet the 20% scaleup threshold, their annualised headcount growth, and whether they have attended an accelerator. At 985, Ashford is 15 points below the UK benchmark and ranks 228th of 360 authorities, outperforming 36.7% of all authorities on this pillar.","Investment covers equity raising activity over the last five years, the amounts raised and the share of companies doing so for the first time. Ashford's score of 943 is 57 points below the UK benchmark, though it still ranks 181st of 360 authorities and outperforms nearly half, at 49.7%, of all authorities on this measure.","ESG reflects the presence of clean energy activity, other green activity, environmental accolades, social and governance signals, and a not-for-profit proxy. At 1,010, Ashford scores 10 points above the UK benchmark on this pillar, ranking 184th of 361 authorities and making ESG the area's strongest pillar relative to the national level.","The chart below places Ashford's composite score of 969 alongside its Kent neighbours, including runner-up Dover, which scores 1,023.",[116,119,122,125,128,131],{"question":117,"answer":118},"What is Ashford's UK Local Growth Index score?","Ashford scores 969 on the UK Local Growth Index, placing it 215th of 361 local authorities. That puts it 31 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000.",{"question":120,"answer":121},"How does Ashford compare to the rest of Kent?","Ashford ranks 7th of 13 authorities in Kent and sits 2 points above the county average of 967.",{"question":123,"answer":124},"How does Ashford compare to the South East region?","Ashford ranks 47th of 64 authorities in the South East, scoring 34 points below the regional average of 1,003.",{"question":126,"answer":127},"Which pillar does Ashford score highest on?","ESG is Ashford's strongest pillar relative to the UK benchmark, scoring 1,010, which is 10 points above the national level. It covers clean energy activity, other green activity, environmental accolades, social and governance signals, and a not-for-profit proxy.",{"question":129,"answer":130},"What does the UK Local Growth Index actually measure?","The index measures the characteristics of a local authority's business economy across four pillars: Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG. It does not measure economic output or GDP; it reflects how active local companies are on each of those dimensions.",{"question":132,"answer":133},"How reliable is Ashford's score?","The composite score has a likely range of 957 to 981, which is narrow enough to be published and relied upon. This range shows how much the score could shift with a slightly different mix of companies in the authority.","Ashford scores 969 on the UK Local Growth Index, ranking 215th of 361 authorities and 31 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000.",{"source":136,"cached":21,"generatedAt":137},"claude:claude-sonnet-4-6","2026-10-20 10:36:37",2021,2026,"2026-10-20"]