A HAPPINESS index from financial advisers Grant Thornton UK has found areas of Worcestershire has some of the highest scores nationally.

The new index measures how towns and cities in the West Midlands compare on a range of factors from prosperity to health, wellbeing and happiness, inclusion and equality.

The vibrant economy index includes 52 indicators of performance, tracking factors that enable businesses, communities and individuals to thrive, including economic measures such as Gross Value Added (GVA), educational attainment and average incomes, and combines them with data around fuel poverty, obesity levels, air quality and crime rates to give a picture of how a place is performing - not just economically, but also socially.

Places were measured by key factors in each performance indicator, and awarded an overall score, with 100 being the average.

Worcester tops the West Midlands region’s scores for community, trust and belonging - measuring how engaged people are in their community - scoring 106.59 and coming 27th out of 324 local authority areas in England.

Meanwhile Malvern Hills is the top regional town on the health, wellbeing and happiness indicator, with a score of 106.31, ranking it 23rd in England for this measure.

David Hillan, practice leader at Grant Thornton, said: “It’s clear from these results that pockets of Worcestershire are doing well, particularly in creating inclusive communities where people not only benefit from economic growth, but also feel engaged and are happy and healthy.

“But for Worcestershire and the West Midlands as a whole to achieve its full potential as a national economic and societal powerhouse there are serious issues in other areas that will require close collaboration to address.

“Given the importance of the West Midlands from a national perspective, we will all play a role in building a strong foundation for sustainable growth where people and businesses can thrive.”