BOURNEMOUTH has been declared one of the best places in the UK for independent businesses.

The town was seventh in a national league table – and in third place for the growth in small businesses over the past five years.

More than 800,000 new businesses have been registered nationwide since 2018-19, according to Bionic, a price comparison service for businesses, which compiled the data. It scored 50 towns and cities on nine metrics including the number of start-ups and their survival rate.

Bournemouth scored 63.1 out of 100, while Southampton topped the national league table with 74. The other places ahead of Bournemouth were York (70), Bristol (66), Northampton (66), Swindon (64) and Reading (63.3).

Dorset Chamber president Caron Khan said “It is fantastic to see Bournemouth in the premier league of top towns and cities for independent businesses. The area punches well above its weight in the top 10, above the likes of Edinburgh and Leeds and Cambridge.

“According to the data, Bournemouth has the highest number of active independent businesses per head of the population by some margin and the third highest survival rate.

“The town, and Dorset in general, is home to some amazing independent businesses which help make the area such a great place in which to live and work. The area’s tremendous entrepreneurial spirit as well as its strong and supportive business community are major factors in its success.”

The research found Bournemouth had 53 start-ups per 10,000 of its population as of 2019. More than 45 per cent of start-ups survived their first five years.

New businesses made up 12.1 per cent of active businesses as of 2019 and the number which folded made up 10.8 per cent of active businesses.

It found 90.1 per cent of small businesses were active, with 1,058 active businesses per 10,000 of population.

The report said Bournemouth was “home to some great independent businesses”.

“Studio Zipcode, a clothing store, was founded during the first national lockdown by fashion student Emma Coleman – a great town to get your business started – and shows how Bournemouth ranked in the top three for the biggest growth in new businesses in the past five years,” it added.

On its other chosen metrics, the report found 9.5 per cent of people commuted on foot and that people claiming benefits for unemployment made up 6.2 per cent of the working age population as of November 2020. The rateable value per square metre of floor space stood at £100.