[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"authority-sandwell":3},{"authority":4,"scoredCount":13,"pillars":14,"ranks":51,"averages":57,"peers":60,"rankLine":87,"countyIsDistinct":65,"content":88,"contentMeta":120,"dataFrom":123,"dataTo":124,"dataChangedAt":125},{"slug":5,"name":6,"county":7,"regionName":7,"region":8,"councilName":9,"activeCompanies":10,"score":11,"halfRange":12},"sandwell","Sandwell","West Midlands","west-midlands","Sandwell Council",19218,931,8,361,[15,26,36,43],{"key":16,"name":17,"colourVar":18,"compositeWeight":19,"shown":20,"score":21,"halfRange":22,"rank":23,"rankOf":13,"outperforms":24,"topPercent":25},"innovation","Innovation","--pillar-innovation",0.3,true,908,11,357,1.1,100,{"key":27,"name":28,"colourVar":29,"compositeWeight":19,"shown":20,"score":30,"halfRange":31,"rank":32,"rankOf":33,"outperforms":34,"topPercent":35},"scaling","Scaling","--pillar-scaling",976,16,266,360,26.1,75,{"key":37,"name":38,"colourVar":39,"compositeWeight":19,"shown":20,"score":40,"halfRange":31,"rank":41,"rankOf":33,"outperforms":42,"topPercent":25},"investment","Investment","--pillar-investment",909,327,9.2,{"key":44,"name":45,"colourVar":46,"compositeWeight":47,"shown":20,"score":48,"halfRange":22,"rank":49,"rankOf":13,"outperforms":50,"topPercent":25},"esg","ESG","--pillar-esg",0.1,929,352,2.5,{"national":52,"region":53,"county":55},349,{"rank":54,"of":54},30,{"rank":56,"of":56},7,{"county":58,"region":59},954,965,[61,66,70,74,78,82,86],{"slug":62,"name":63,"score":64,"isCurrent":65},"solihull","Solihull",979,false,{"slug":67,"name":68,"score":69,"isCurrent":65},"coventry","Coventry",968,{"slug":71,"name":72,"score":73,"isCurrent":65},"birmingham","Birmingham",959,{"slug":75,"name":76,"score":77,"isCurrent":65},"dudley","Dudley",953,{"slug":79,"name":80,"score":81,"isCurrent":65},"walsall","Walsall",938,{"slug":83,"name":84,"score":85,"isCurrent":65},"wolverhampton","Wolverhampton",934,{"slug":5,"name":6,"score":11,"isCurrent":20},"349th of 361 authorities nationally",{"heroSummary":89,"intro":90,"pillarCommentary":94,"compareSummary":99,"faqs":100,"metaDescription":119},"Sandwell scores 931 on the UK Local Growth Index, placing it 349th of 361 local authorities and 69 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000. Its strongest pillar is Scaling, where it sits closest to the national average. Innovation and Investment are the main drags on the composite, both sitting well below the benchmark.",[91,92,93],"The composite score draws on four pillars: Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG, weighted at 30%, 30%, 30% and 10% respectively.","Each score is an average across all 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 this a fair comparison between authorities of very different sizes.","The UK as a whole scores 1,000, so Sandwell's 931 places it below that national reference point. The likely range of 923 to 939 shows how much the score might shift with a slightly different mix of companies; because that range is narrow, the score is reliable enough to publish.",{"innovation":95,"scaling":96,"investment":97,"esg":98},"Innovation captures patents, academic spinouts, R&D grant value, innovative sector tags and IS-8 sector classification. Sandwell ranks 357th of 361 authorities on this pillar, scoring 908 and sitting 92 points below the UK benchmark, suggesting companies here are less active on these innovation measures than in most other parts of the country.","Scaling covers whether companies meet the scaleup threshold, headcount growth rates and accelerator attendance. At 976, Sandwell is 24 points below the UK benchmark and ranks 266th of 360 authorities, making this its strongest pillar and the area where it comes closest to the national average.","Investment reflects equity raising activity: whether companies raised equity in the last five years, the amount raised and whether they were first-time raisers. Sandwell scores 909 here, 91 points below the UK benchmark and ranked 327th of 360, pointing to limited equity investment activity among its companies.","The ESG pillar measures clean energy activity, other green activity, environmental accolades, social and governance signals, and not-for-profit status. Sandwell scores 929 on ESG, 71 points below the UK benchmark, and ranks 352nd of 361 authorities, indicating that these characteristics are relatively uncommon among its companies.","The chart below compares Sandwell's composite score of 931 with its neighbours in the West Midlands, where Sandwell ranks 7th of 7 authorities with a county average of 954.",[101,104,107,110,113,116],{"question":102,"answer":103},"What is Sandwell's score on the UK Local Growth Index?","Sandwell scores 931, placing it 349th of 361 local authorities and 69 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000.",{"question":105,"answer":106},"How does Sandwell compare to other West Midlands authorities?","Sandwell ranks 7th of 7 authorities in its county group, scoring 23 points below the county average of 954 and 34 points below the regional average of 965.",{"question":108,"answer":109},"Which pillar is Sandwell strongest on?","Scaling is Sandwell's highest-scoring pillar at 976, ranking 266th of 360 authorities and sitting 24 points below the UK benchmark.",{"question":111,"answer":112},"Where does Sandwell score lowest?","Innovation is Sandwell's lowest pillar, with a score of 908 and a rank of 357th of 361 authorities, placing it 92 points below the UK benchmark.",{"question":114,"answer":115},"How many companies are counted in Sandwell's score?","The score is based on 19,218 active companies, with corporate groups counted once rather than as separate registered entities.",{"question":117,"answer":118},"What does the UK Local Growth Index actually measure?","It measures the characteristics of a place's business economy across four pillars: Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG. It is not a measure of economic output or GDP.","Sandwell scores 931 on the UK Local Growth Index, ranking 349th of 361 authorities and 69 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000.",{"source":121,"cached":20,"generatedAt":122},"claude:claude-sonnet-4-6","2026-10-20 11:06:09",2021,2026,"2026-10-20"]