ALMOST 8,000 companies were formed in Dorset last year – a 23 per cent rise over the number the year before.

Poole led the way, with more than 1,000 companies created, up more than a third on the previous year, according to the analysis of official data by Company Formations 24.7.

The company formation agent found 7,785 companies were registered in Dorset in 2015, up from 6,326 in 2014.

There were 3,729 companies dissolved, down 3.4 per cent.

That left the total number of companies registered in Dorset at 47,428, up 9.3 per cent. Dorset moved from 20th to 18th in the national rankings for the total number of companies registered.

There were only two parts of the county where company registrations were down – Christchurch, down 28 to 369, and East Dorset, down 110 to 529.

Roger Williams, president of Poole Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said: “We’ve always recognised Poole as a hotbed of initiative, drive and enthusiasm.

“With the support of Bournemouth and Poole college and the universities delivering many well qualified young people into the market, it’s hardly surprising that perhaps some of those have developed entrepreneurial flare.

“Poole council is an active member of the business community and I’m sure has been of benefit to business start-ups.”

Ian Girling, chief executive of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “This is a great story for Dorset. We’ve got a very strong entrepreneurial culture.

“Start-up survival rates remain low and it’s important that businesses take advice, particularly in their early years.

“Research indicates businesses that take advice and support almost double their chances of survival in the early years.”

He said Dorset remained a good place to set up a business.

“We’re only a couple of hours from London. We’ve got two fantastic universities and a great college. We’ve got some really good organisations offering business support in the area. And we’ve got a really well connected business community that’s keen to see other businesses grow and prosper,” he added.

The Company Formations 24.7 – based on Companies House data and other sources including CreditSafe – showed there were 62.4 companies per 1,000 people in Dorset, up from 57.5. There were 10,059 company directors, up 17 per cent.