RESEARCH has revealed Bradford is the second most entrepreneurial city in the UK.

The report, by workplace comparison site Instant Offices, found Bradford has a ‘entrepreneur index’ of 32 per cent, behind only Portsmouth in the UK.

It compared the number of new businesses created in the 2020 according to Companies House to the population of the city, with the number of businesses launched going up by 32 per cent.

In 2020, 4,786 new businesses were created in the district.

Kersten England, chief executive of Bradford Council, said the figures show why it is important Bradford is included in Northern Powerhouse Rail.

She said: “Great to see Bradford ranked second in the top 20 most entrepreneurial UK cities.

“Yet another reason why it’s so important to put a city centre stop on the Northern Powerhouse Rail line through Bradford. Unlock the potential and growth of this great young diverse entrepreneurial city!”

London, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester all make the top ten but trail behind Bradford in the rankings, With Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh propping up the bottom of the table.

Portsmouth was top with an index of 33 per cent, with London third with 31 per cent. London had far and away the most new businesses created, with 242,442, but fell behind on the index.

The top ten most entrepreneurial cities in the UK are:

Portsmouth – 33 per cent

Bradford – 32 per cent

London – 31 per cent

Coventry – 31 per cent

Leicester – 31 per cent

Wolverhampton – 28 per cent

Leeds – 26 per cent

Liverpool – 24 per cent

Manchester – 24 per cent

Sunderland – 24 per cent

 

Great to see #Bradford ranked 2nd in the top 20 most entrepreneurial UK cities. Yet another reason why it’s so important to put a city centre stop on the #NPR line through Bradford. Unlock the potential + growth of this great young diverse entrepreneurial City! ⁦ pic.twitter.com/EFM3gdlrFN
— K England 💙 (@kersten_england) January 22, 2021

John Williams, head of marketing at Instant Offices, said: “The onset and spread of the pandemic has had a massive impact on the growth of entrepreneurship in the country, with many new businesses having to pivot to survive during the crisis.

“While the exact implications of COVID-19 on business and the economy at large is still uncertain, the UK’s innovative and entrepreneurial spirit endures.”