Cambridge’s economy has ranked first in an annual Cities Outlook report, suggesting that that Cambridge could play a significant role in driving the country’s economic successes amidst a bleak national picture.

This is in light of the publication of the think-tank Centre for Cities’ annual Cities Outlook report on 64 cities last Monday, in which Cambridge performed well across a range of measures pertaining to education, employment and inequality.

Of particular note was the city’s proficiency in terms of innovation, with over four times as many patents granted in Cambridge than in second-placed Aldershot.

Moreover, this was just one of six measures (out of fifteen) in which Cambridge is the highest-performing city in the country, well ahead of London’s three. These successes encompass a wide range of accolades, including having the lowest percentage of people on Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), and the lowest percentage of residents with no qualifications.

Though the report provides encouraging news for Cambridge, the forecast for the country as a whole is mixed.

Cambridge’s success is relative, and must be placed in a context of economic gloom.

In particular, Leader of Cambridge City Council Cllr Sian Reid is keen to avoid complacency on unemployment.

She notes that “Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Local Strategic Partnership has agreed that getting young people into work should be one of its top priorities for spending its last round of grants money, about £100,000.”

Nonetheless, though unemployment in Cambridge rose by 0.1 of a percentage point, to 1.8% last year, the city still had the lowest unemployment level within the survey.