[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"authority-sefton":3},{"authority":4,"scoredCount":14,"pillars":15,"ranks":53,"averages":60,"peers":63,"rankLine":81,"countyIsDistinct":21,"content":82,"contentMeta":114,"dataFrom":117,"dataTo":118,"dataChangedAt":119},{"slug":5,"name":6,"county":7,"regionName":8,"region":9,"councilName":10,"activeCompanies":11,"score":12,"halfRange":13},"sefton","Sefton","Merseyside","North West","north-west","Sefton Council",13118,938,10,361,[16,27,36,43],{"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,922,14,342,5.3,100,{"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",968,19,299,360,16.9,{"key":37,"name":38,"colourVar":39,"compositeWeight":20,"shown":21,"score":40,"halfRange":32,"rank":41,"rankOf":34,"outperforms":42,"topPercent":26},"investment","Investment","--pillar-investment",905,339,5.8,{"key":44,"name":45,"colourVar":46,"compositeWeight":47,"shown":21,"score":48,"halfRange":49,"rank":50,"rankOf":14,"outperforms":51,"topPercent":52},"esg","ESG","--pillar-esg",0.1,998,15,225,37.7,75,{"national":54,"region":55,"county":58},330,{"rank":56,"of":57},31,35,{"rank":59,"of":59},5,{"county":61,"region":62},961,973,[64,69,73,76,80],{"slug":65,"name":66,"score":67,"isCurrent":68},"liverpool","Liverpool",971,false,{"slug":70,"name":71,"score":72,"isCurrent":68},"knowsley","Knowsley",962,{"slug":74,"name":75,"score":72,"isCurrent":68},"st-helens","St. Helens",{"slug":77,"name":78,"score":79,"isCurrent":68},"wirral","Wirral",955,{"slug":5,"name":6,"score":12,"isCurrent":21},"330th of 361 authorities nationally",{"heroSummary":83,"intro":84,"pillarCommentary":88,"compareSummary":93,"faqs":94,"metaDescription":113},"Sefton scores 938 on the UK Local Growth Index, placing it 330th of 361 local authorities and 62 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000. Its strongest pillar is ESG, where it comes close to the national benchmark, while Innovation and Investment are the areas where it trails the UK most noticeably. The score sits below both the Merseyside average of 961 and the North West average of 973.",[85,86,87],"Sefton's composite score of 938 is built from four pillars: Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG, weighted at 30%, 30%, 30% and 10% respectively, and is based on 13,118 active companies with corporate groups counted once.","Each pillar score is an average across all active companies in the authority, which means a place with a small economy but highly active companies can score as well as a much larger one. That makes the index a fair comparison between authorities of very different sizes.","The UK as a whole scores 1,000, so Sefton's composite of 938 sits below that national benchmark. Every score also carries a likely range, which shows how much the score could shift with a slightly different mix of companies; a score is only published when that range is narrow enough to rely on, and Sefton's composite range of 928 to 948 meets that standard.",{"innovation":89,"scaling":90,"investment":91,"esg":92},"Innovation covers granted patent families filed in the last 20 years, academic spinout status, R&D grant value, and whether companies are tagged with innovative sectors or IS-8 sectors. Sefton ranks 342nd of 361 authorities on this pillar, scoring 922 and sitting 78 points below the UK benchmark, outperforming only 5.3% of authorities. This indicates that Sefton's companies show relatively limited engagement with patenting, R&D grant funding and the sectors the index designates as innovative.","Scaling measures whether companies qualify as scaleups, their annualised headcount growth over the latest four years of accounts, and accelerator attendance. Sefton ranks 299th of 360 on this pillar with a score of 968, placing it 32 points below the UK benchmark. While still in the lower half nationally, this is Sefton's second-strongest pillar and suggests its companies are adding staff at a rate closer to the national average than its Innovation or Investment scores.","Investment tracks whether companies raised equity in the last five years, the value of equity raised, and whether they did so for the first time in that period. At 905 and ranked 339th of 360, this is Sefton's weakest pillar by rank, sitting 95 points below the UK benchmark and outperforming only 5.8% of authorities. Relatively few of Sefton's companies have attracted or sought equity finance in recent years.","ESG captures clean energy activity, other green activity, environmental accolades, social and governance signals, and a not-for-profit proxy. Sefton scores 998 here, just 2 points below the UK benchmark, and ranks 225th of 361, outperforming 37.7% of authorities. This is a notably stronger position than on its other pillars, and places Sefton close to the national average on the environmental and social characteristics the index measures.","The chart below compares Sefton's composite score of 938 with its Merseyside neighbours, where it ranks 5th of 5 authorities, 23 points below the county average of 961.",[95,98,101,104,107,110],{"question":96,"answer":97},"What is Sefton's score on the UK Local Growth Index?","Sefton scores 938, placing it 330th of 361 local authorities and 62 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000.",{"question":99,"answer":100},"How does Sefton compare with the rest of Merseyside?","Sefton ranks 5th of 5 authorities in Merseyside, sitting 23 points below the county average of 961. Liverpool is the next-ranked authority in the county with a score of 971.",{"question":102,"answer":103},"Which pillar is Sefton's strongest?","ESG is Sefton's strongest pillar, with a score of 998, just 2 points below the UK benchmark. It ranks 225th of 361 authorities on this measure.",{"question":105,"answer":106},"Where does Sefton rank for Innovation?","Sefton ranks 342nd of 361 authorities for Innovation, scoring 922 and sitting 78 points below the UK benchmark. It outperforms only 5.3% of authorities on this pillar.",{"question":108,"answer":109},"How does Sefton's Investment score compare to the UK?","Sefton's Investment score of 905 is 95 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000, and it ranks 339th of 360 authorities on this pillar.",{"question":111,"answer":112},"What does the UK Local Growth Index actually measure?","The index measures the characteristics of a place's active companies across four pillars: Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG. It does not measure economic output or GDP; scores are averaged across companies so that authorities of different sizes can be compared fairly.","Sefton scores 938 on the UK Local Growth Index, ranking 330th of 361 local authorities and 62 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000.",{"source":115,"cached":21,"generatedAt":116},"claude:claude-sonnet-4-6","2026-10-20 11:04:45",2021,2026,"2026-10-20"]