[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"authority-luton":3},{"authority":4,"scoredCount":14,"pillars":15,"ranks":52,"averages":58,"peers":61,"rankLine":72,"countyIsDistinct":21,"content":73,"contentMeta":105,"dataFrom":108,"dataTo":109,"dataChangedAt":110},{"slug":5,"name":6,"county":7,"regionName":8,"region":9,"councilName":10,"activeCompanies":11,"score":12,"halfRange":13},"luton","Luton","Bedfordshire","East of England","east-of-england","Luton Council",18371,922,8,361,[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,918,12,345,4.4,100,{"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",945,16,346,360,3.9,{"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",899,15,353,1.9,{"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",0.1,931,351,2.8,{"national":53,"region":54,"county":56},359,{"rank":55,"of":55},45,{"rank":57,"of":57},3,{"county":59,"region":60},951,991,[62,67,71],{"slug":63,"name":64,"score":65,"isCurrent":66},"bedford","Bedford",971,false,{"slug":68,"name":69,"score":70,"isCurrent":66},"central-bedfordshire","Central Bedfordshire",968,{"slug":5,"name":6,"score":12,"isCurrent":21},"359th of 361 authorities nationally",{"heroSummary":74,"intro":75,"pillarCommentary":79,"compareSummary":84,"faqs":85,"metaDescription":104},"Luton scores 922 on the UK Local Growth Index, placing it 359th of 361 local authorities and 78 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000. All four pillars sit below the UK average, with Investment the weakest and Innovation the relative strength. The score puts Luton 29 points below Bedfordshire and 69 points below the East of England region.",[76,77,78],"Luton's composite score of 922 is built from four pillars: Innovation, Scaling, Investment and ESG, weighted 30%, 30%, 30% and 10% respectively.","The index measures the characteristics of active companies in each authority, with corporate groups counted once. Because the score is an average across those companies, it reflects how active local businesses are rather than the size of the local economy, which makes it a fair comparison between authorities of very different scales.","The UK as a whole scores 1,000, so Luton's 922 places it below that national reference point across all pillars. Each score also comes with a likely range, showing how much the result could move with a slightly different mix of companies; a score is only published when that range is narrow enough to rely on, and Luton's composite range of 914 to 930 meets that threshold.",{"innovation":80,"scaling":81,"investment":82,"esg":83},"Innovation measures patents, academic spinouts, R&D grant value, presence in innovative sectors and coverage of IS-8 sectors. Luton ranks 345th of 361 authorities on this pillar, scoring 918, which is 82 points below the UK benchmark. It is Luton's strongest pillar relative to the other three, though it still outperforms only 4.4% of authorities nationally.","Scaling captures whether companies are high-growth scaleups, their headcount growth over recent years and whether they have attended an accelerator. Luton ranks 346th of 360 on this pillar with a score of 945, sitting 55 points below the UK average. That gap is narrower than on Innovation or Investment, making Scaling the second-strongest pillar.","Investment covers equity raisers, the value of equity raised and first-time raisers, all within the last five years. At 899, Luton's Investment score is 101 points below the UK benchmark, the largest gap of any pillar, and the authority ranks 353rd of 360. Companies here are raising equity less frequently and at lower values than across the UK as a whole.","ESG measures clean energy activity, other green activity, environmental accolades, social and governance signals, and a not-for-profit proxy. Luton scores 931 on this pillar, 69 points below the UK benchmark, and ranks 351st of 361 authorities. It outperforms only 2.8% of authorities nationally on this dimension.","The chart below sets Luton's composite score of 922 against its Bedfordshire neighbours, including the county runner-up Bedford at 971.",[86,89,92,95,98,101],{"question":87,"answer":88},"What is Luton's UK Local Growth Index score?","Luton scores 922 on the UK Local Growth Index, placing it 359th of 361 local authorities and 78 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000.",{"question":90,"answer":91},"How does Luton compare with the rest of Bedfordshire?","Luton ranks 3rd of 3 authorities in Bedfordshire and sits 29 points below the county score of 951. The county runner-up, Bedford, scores 971.",{"question":93,"answer":94},"How does Luton compare with the East of England region?","Luton ranks 45th of 45 authorities in the East of England and scores 69 points below the regional average of 991.",{"question":96,"answer":97},"Which pillar is Luton's strongest?","Innovation is Luton's strongest pillar, with a score of 918, though this still sits 82 points below the UK benchmark and the authority ranks 345th of 361 nationally on that measure.",{"question":99,"answer":100},"Which pillar is Luton's weakest?","Investment is Luton's weakest pillar, scoring 899, which is 101 points below the UK benchmark. Luton ranks 353rd of 360 authorities on Investment.",{"question":102,"answer":103},"How many active companies does Luton have in the index?","The index covers 18,371 active companies in Luton, with corporate groups counted once rather than as each of their registered entities.","Luton scores 922 on the UK Local Growth Index, ranking 359th of 361 local authorities and 78 points below the UK benchmark of 1,000.",{"source":106,"cached":21,"generatedAt":107},"claude:claude-sonnet-4-6","2026-10-20 11:06:48",2021,2026,"2026-10-20"]