Economic Performance
Gross value added (GVA) per job filled
£85,604 (2023)
Previously reported at £83,662 (2022)
This update covers quarter 4 (January to March) for 2025 to 2026.
Highlights and challenges
The fourth quarter for the second year of the economic strategy has seen the Bracknell Forest Economic Partnership remain focused on the actions identified in the partnership’s action plan. The partnership has continued to focus on 3 priority areas aligned to the Economic Strategy.
Grow and attract business: innovation and technology
The engagement with local universities including the University of Reading, the University of Surrey, Royal Holloway, and University College London (RHUL) have been valuable in identifying shared priorities and future collaboration opportunities. Resource pressures will influence the degree of collaboration and engagement with universities.
Pride in Bracknell Forest: a place that supports community and welcomes businesses and enterprises
We have recently updated a section of the Bracknell Forest for Business webpage to focus on promoting Bracknell Forest as a great place for businesses.
These details draw out the positive strengths and characteristics important for attracting and sustaining inward investment. This includes:
- the location
- who is here
- quality business premises
- future workforce talent
- business support on offer
Business support
In partnership with the council, The Berkshire Growth Hub continues to offer comprehensive business support to start ups and existing businesses in the borough. We do this through one-to-one support and free masterclasses, such as sales and AI masterclasses.
In February, Berkshire Growth Hub hosted a Skills Bootcamp Alumni networking event at The Village Hotel in Bracknell. The 2 hour event was attended by over 70 former Skills Bootcamp participants. It featured keynote speeches from 2 tutors, alongside dedicated time for networking and building valuable professional connections.
The Berkshire Growth Hub delivered a retail focused support pilot across 2 retail areas in the borough: Crowthorne and Sandhurst. As part of the pilot, a retail specialist carried out on-site visits to 4 local businesses to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing retailers in 2026. Following these visits, each business received a detailed report, along with the opportunity to arrange a follow-up meeting with a Berkshire Growth Hub business adviser.
Further initiatives will be explored to increase the range of support available to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the borough.
Bracknell Forest Youth Employment Hub
The Bracknell Forest Youth Employment Hub launched in January at the Open Learning Centre, Bracknell. The hub is a free service to support a minimum of 140 young people aged 18 and over who are receiving universal credit and are looking for work, training or direction.
They offer one-to-one support in a safe and welcoming space. They can help with:
- finding a job, apprenticeship or work experience
- writing a CV and preparing job applications
- preparing for interviews
- building confidence and motivation
- building digital and employability skills
- exploring training and education options
They are engaging with local businesses to offer:
- employer talks
- industry insight events
- recruitment workshops
- opportunities to meet local businesses
Youth Employment Hub launch March 2026 with Peter Swallow MP for Bracknell, Crowthorne, Sandhurst and Whitegrove, and Cllr. Paul Bidwell cabinet member for adults, economy and regeneration.
The Healthy Workplace Alliance
The Healthy Workplace Alliance is currently paused to support a staffing restructure. However, the website continues to provide an extensive range of resources to support businesses. These resources remain fully accessible and offer practical guidance to help employers promote and sustain workplace wellbeing during this period.
Operating environment
Bracknell Forest’s economy forms part of a wider functional economic area within Berkshire and the Thames Valley. The borough’s business composition includes a range of established smaller or local enterprises making up 89% of all businesses together with medium sized and larger national and international companies.
The growth of the economy is influenced by the following strategies and delivery mechanisms:
- Bracknell Forest Vision 2050
- Bracknell Forest Council Plan delivery
- Climate Change Strategy and action plan
- Emerging Local Transport Plan 4
- Adopted Bracknell Forest Local Plan
- Berkshire Prosperity Board and Berkshire Economic Strategy (PDF, 3.1MB)
- national, regional, local political landscape
- Bracknell Business Improvement District business plan
Current position
Key measures
Under each of the 4 themes in the Economic Strategy there is 1 key metric that shows the current position of Bracknell Forest. These will be kept under review by the council’s economic development team and the Bracknell Forest Economic Partnership. Principal indicators are set out below.
Business competitiveness
Business births per 10,000 people of working age population
47.1(2024)
Previously reported at 48.8 (2023)
People, work and wellbeing
Educational attainment
51.4% NVQ 4(2024)
47.1% England
Place, climate change, infrastructure and connectivity
Full fibre
96.4%(March 2026)
Previously reported at 96.1% (Jan 2026)
The quarter 4 report is an update on the base position set in reports for the first year (2024 to 2025) and quarter 3 (2025 to 2026). For quarter 4 the majority of indicators do not have updated data available. There continues to be a broadly positive outlook.
Headline charts
The following charts show the current status of the 24 key metrics under the priority themes identified in the Bracknell Forest Economic Strategy 2024 to 2034.
They provide an overview of the current position versus target as a red, amber or green (RAG) status, plus the direction of travel of latest data against previous results.
Performance against target or forecast
Economic Strategy action plan indicators: RAG status summary at quarter 4 2025 to 2026
Economic strategy action plan indicators: RAG status by theme at quarter 4 2025 to 2026
Performance trends
Economic Strategy action plan indicators: Performance trends summary at quarter 4 2025 to 2026
Economic Strategy action plan indicators: performance trend by theme at quarter 4 2025 to 2026
Action plan performance update overview
The chart below summarises the performance and trend for all 24 metrics in the Economic Strategy action plan. Further detail is provided in the appendix.
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Economic performance
Overall, Bracknell Forest shows a broadly resilient economic position, with strengths in productivity and business retention. There are some areas where performance is mixed and where further improvement would strengthen long term competitiveness.
The UK Competitiveness Index, which ranked Bracknell Forest at 35 out of 360 local authorities in England and Wales in 2023, is no longer being published. We are exploring alternative data sources for this metric.
The academic team that produced the UK Competitiveness Index have produced the NICE Index Report. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the economic landscape. The NICE Index offers a more comprehensive measure of regional economic potential by assessing 4 key dimensions:
- networks
- innovation
- creativity
- entrepreneurship
Bracknell is ranked 60th out of 330.
The full report can be read on the NICE Index of Localities and Regions (PDF, 3.8 MB).
Productivity, measured by GVA per job filled, remains a key strength. Although the latest figure (£85,604) is slightly below the £87,000 target, performance is assessed as “no change or better” within the agreed tolerance levels. Importantly, productivity has grown on an annual basis compared with previous years, demonstrating continued economic value creation.
GVA per job filled
| Local authority | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bracknell Forest | 77,601 | 78,945 | 81,387 | 83,662 | 85,604 |
| Reading | 72,753 | 74,768 | 77,091 | 79,572 | 80,208 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 84,930 | 85,965 | 87,815 | 88,656 | 82,446 |
| Wokingham | 86,759 | 92,838 | 96,675 | 99,006 | 100,366 |
| Surrey Heath | 65,898 | 70,165 | 72,076 | 72,909 | 68,927 |
The proportion of knowledge-economy businesses is currently below target and rated red, with a modest year on year decline. However, the knowledge economy presence continues to align with the strongest local authority areas in the Functional Economic Area. This suggests a solid foundation, even though growth has not yet matched aspirations and remains an area for focused intervention.
The number of foreign owned companies with 250 or more employees has remained stable at 26. While this is below the target of 28, wider shifts in working practices and reduced demand for traditional office space are likely to continue to present challenges in this area.
In response, Bracknell BID is delivering a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing Bracknell as an attractive and accessible place to work. These include the introduction of a free shuttle bus at peak travel times between the railway station and the BID area, alongside the free use of bicycles and e-bikes to improve ease of movement within the town. Ongoing landscaping and public realm improvement projects are also helping to enhance the overall appearance of the BID area, supporting its attractiveness as a business location.
Additionally, in partnership with Bracknell BID, an Invest in Bracknell event is being planned for the autumn. This collaborative approach strengthens engagement with existing and prospective businesses and helps maximise the collective impact of investment promotion activity.