So the cards are on the table. The vision for our country’s economy has been laid out.  

We now have national policies designed to make the rich a LOT richer, and ‘growth’ a LOT less sustainable. All in the name of ‘boosting’ the economy to give us a future of low wage insecure jobs in polluted and poverty stricken towns and cities. The solution to plummeting quality of life and inequality is to turbocharge inflation, inequality and climate damage.  

But there is another way.

This week sees the annual release of the latest results for the Thriving Places Index (TPI): a globally respected measure of whether and where we’re delivering REAL PROGRESS FOR ALL. For local leaders of all political persuasions, the TPI is a roadmap to a different economy that can be delivered today. One that grows our capacity to thrive, equitably and sustainably, across the country.  

For those dismayed by national policies that seem out of touch with the reality for people in our communities, the TPI provides a snapshot of where every local area in England and Wales is right now, and a guide to what we need to grow for a truly prosperous future for current and future generations.

As taxes are slashed for the megarich and large corporations, as environmental and social protections are ripped up, as the pound plummets to an all time low, further bloating bonuses for city bankers and increasing basic service costs for the rest of us, there’s never been a more urgent time for our local leaders to say ‘enough is enough’.

A wellbeing economy channels decisions, investments, policy and action towards growing the wellbeing of people, place and planet. Leaders would still have tough choices to make but would base them not on growing wealth for wealthy shareholders, but on how much they grow conditions for us to have good, healthy, meaningful and connected lives.  

If what we measure influences what we strive to achieve, we urgently need to measure the health and education of our children, the strength of our communities, the warmth and security of our homes, the quality of the air we breathe and the environment we depend on. When those things and other drivers of real progress are put front and centre of decision-making and budgeting, then very different paths are taken:

• We insulate every home and make every street an energy powerstation.  
• We support local businesses that provide stable jobs with fair pay and who reinvest in our communities.  
• We invest in farming and land management that protects biodiversity.  
• We design our streets to grow community connection and support active lifestyles to protect our mental and physical health.  

This is not a pipedream – these metrics are the backbone of the TPI, used by community leaders and by academics, public health bodies and funders to guide better decisions in all parts of our lives. Today’s results, offering data, support and guidance for every Local Authority area in England and Wales, are available to all NOW.

It is time to steer a different path – place by place – to reclaim momentum from those that would drive us towards a precipice of social and environmental collapse and instead move towards a truly equitable and sustainable future.

To see YOUR local areas scores go to these links England and Wales 

To see the 2022 highlights from the TPI results go to our Key Findings Report

Sign up for our upcoming webinar to find out much more about the Thriving Places Index.

To read an in-depth analysis of our partners at University of Birmingham on how the TPI highlights multiple regional inequalities across the UK, see this report.

To find out how CTP can support you, your organisation, your city or your region to grow a wellbeing economy get in touch at hello@centreforthrivingplaces.org

Photo by Faris Mohammed on Unsplash