[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"authority-bolton":3},{"authority":4,"scoredCount":14,"pillars":15,"ranks":52,"averages":60,"peers":63,"rankLine":100,"countyIsDistinct":21,"content":101,"contentMeta":133,"dataFrom":136,"dataTo":137,"dataChangedAt":138},{"slug":5,"name":6,"county":7,"regionName":8,"region":9,"councilName":10,"activeCompanies":11,"score":12,"halfRange":13},"bolton","Bolton","Greater Manchester","North West","north-west","Bolton Council",22584,941,7,361,[16,27,36,44],{"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,937,11,300,16.9,100,{"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",966,14,302,360,16.1,{"key":37,"name":38,"colourVar":39,"compositeWeight":20,"shown":21,"score":40,"halfRange":41,"rank":42,"rankOf":34,"outperforms":43,"topPercent":26},"investment","Investment","--pillar-investment",914,15,305,15.3,{"key":45,"name":46,"colourVar":47,"compositeWeight":48,"shown":21,"score":49,"halfRange":23,"rank":50,"rankOf":14,"outperforms":51,"topPercent":26},"esg","ESG","--pillar-esg",0.1,954,324,10.2,{"national":53,"region":54,"county":57},326,{"rank":55,"of":56},29,35,{"rank":58,"of":59},6,10,{"county":61,"region":62},976,973,[64,69,73,77,80,84,85,89,92,96],{"slug":65,"name":66,"score":67,"isCurrent":68},"manchester","Manchester",1015,false,{"slug":70,"name":71,"score":72,"isCurrent":68},"trafford","Trafford",1013,{"slug":74,"name":75,"score":76,"isCurrent":68},"salford","Salford",979,{"slug":78,"name":79,"score":61,"isCurrent":68},"stockport","Stockport",{"slug":81,"name":82,"score":83,"isCurrent":68},"wigan","Wigan",963,{"slug":5,"name":6,"score":12,"isCurrent":21},{"slug":86,"name":87,"score":88,"isCurrent":68},"rochdale","Rochdale",939,{"slug":90,"name":91,"score":22,"isCurrent":68},"oldham","Oldham",{"slug":93,"name":94,"score":95,"isCurrent":68},"bury","Bury",932,{"slug":97,"name":98,"score":99,"isCurrent":68},"tameside","Tameside",931,"326th of 361 authorities nationally",{"heroSummary":102,"intro":103,"pillarCommentary":107,"compareSummary":112,"faqs":113,"metaDescription":132},"Bolton scores 941 on the Local Growth Index, placing it 326th of 361 UK local authorities and 59 points below the UK benchmark. All four pillars are published, and each sits below the UK average. Within Greater Manchester, Bolton ranks 6th of 10 authorities, trailing the county average by 35 points.",[104,105,106],"Bolton's composite score of 941 is built from four pillars: Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG, weighted at 30%, 30%, 30% and 10% respectively.","The index measures the characteristics of active companies in each authority, with corporate groups counted once. Because each score is averaged across those companies rather than totalled, a large authority with many modest firms can score lower than a smaller one with highly active firms, making this a fair comparison between authorities of very different sizes.","The UK as a whole scores 1,000, so Bolton's score of 941 means its companies are, on average, less active across these measures than the UK norm. The likely range of 934 to 948 shows how much the score might shift with a slightly different mix of companies; Bolton's range is narrow enough for the score to be published with confidence.",{"innovation":108,"scaling":109,"investment":110,"esg":111},"Innovation covers patents, academic spinouts, R&D grant value, innovative sector tags and IS-8 sector membership. Bolton ranks 300th of 361 authorities on this pillar, scoring 937 and sitting 63 points below the UK benchmark, outperforming only 16.9% of authorities. This points to relatively limited patent activity, R&D grant uptake and high-innovation sector presence among Bolton's companies.","The Scaling pillar measures whether companies are 20% scaleups, their three-year headcount growth rate and whether they have attended an accelerator. Bolton ranks 302nd of 360 on Scaling, scoring 966 and coming in 34 points below the UK average. That gap, while the narrowest of Bolton's four pillars, still indicates that employment growth and accelerator participation among local companies are below the national norm.","Investment captures equity-raising activity: whether companies have raised equity in the last five years, how much they raised, and whether a deal was their first ever. Bolton's Investment score of 914 is its weakest in absolute terms, sitting 86 points below the UK benchmark and ranking 305th of 360. This suggests equity investment is considerably less common among Bolton's companies than across the UK as a whole.","The ESG pillar covers clean energy activity, other green activity, environmental accolades, social and governance signals, and a not-for-profit proxy. Bolton ranks 324th of 361 on ESG, scoring 954 and falling 46 points below the UK average. Though ESG carries the lowest weight in the composite, Bolton's position here, outperforming only 10.2% of authorities, reflects limited green and social signals among its companies relative to the national picture.","The chart below sets Bolton's composite score of 941 alongside its neighbours in Greater Manchester, where the county average stands at 976.",[114,117,120,123,126,129],{"question":115,"answer":116},"What is Bolton's Local Growth Index score?","Bolton scores 941 on the UK Local Growth Index, placing it 326th of 361 local authorities and 59 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000.",{"question":118,"answer":119},"How does Bolton compare to the rest of Greater Manchester?","Bolton ranks 6th of the 10 authorities in Greater Manchester and sits 35 points below the county average of 976. Manchester is the county's leading authority, scoring 1,015.",{"question":121,"answer":122},"How does Bolton compare to the North West region?","Within the North West, Bolton ranks 29th of 35 authorities and scores 32 points below the regional average of 973.",{"question":124,"answer":125},"Which pillar is Bolton strongest on?","Innovation is Bolton's highest-scoring pillar at 937, though it still sits 63 points below the UK benchmark and ranks 300th of 361 authorities.",{"question":127,"answer":128},"How many companies are counted in Bolton's score?","The index covers 22,584 active companies in Bolton, with corporate groups counted once rather than as separate entities.",{"question":130,"answer":131},"What does the Local Growth Index actually measure?","It measures the characteristics of a place's companies across four pillars: Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG. It is not a measure of economic output or GDP; it reflects how active local companies are across these dimensions.","Bolton scores 941 on the UK Local Growth Index, ranking 326th of 361 authorities and 59 points below the UK benchmark across all four pillars.",{"source":134,"cached":21,"generatedAt":135},"claude:claude-sonnet-4-6","2026-10-20 10:38:17",2021,2026,"2026-10-20"]