WORCESTER residents are the most engaged in their community, according to an index covering towns and cities across the region.

Business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP compiled the Vibrant Economy Index, which rates communities using a variety of social and economic factors.

Worcester topped the West Midland's scores for community, trust and belonging - scoring 106.59, which places it 27th out of 324 local authority areas in England.

David Hillan, practice leader at Grant Thornton in Birmingham, said: "It’s clear from these results that pockets of Worcestershire are doing well, particularly in creating inclusive communities where people not only benefit from economic growth, but also feel engaged and are happy and healthy.

"But for Worcestershire and the West Midlands as a whole to achieve its full potential as a national economic and societal powerhouse there are serious issues in other areas that will require close collaboration to address.

"This is why we’ve convened our West Midlands Inquiry: to bring together the region’s influencers and leaders from the private, public and third sectors to define our opportunities, discuss what we do well, what we could do better and how we can work more closely together to create a blueprint for change and an even greater West Midlands.

"A truly vibrant economy is one which benefits every sector of society in every way.

"Given the importance of the West Midlands from a national perspective, we will all play a role in building a strong foundation for sustainable growth where people and businesses can thrive."

Also scoring well in the index is the Malvern Hills, which is the top regional town on the health, wellbeing and happiness indicator. It scored 106.31, ranking it 23rd in England for this measure.

Contributing to this score are higher than average levels of sports participation and life expectancy, and lower than average levels of adult and childhood obesity.

The Index is based on 52 indicators of performance, including economic measures such as Gross Value Added (GVA), educational attainment and average incomes.

It combines economic measures with data around fuel poverty, obesity levels, air quality and crime rates to give a picture of how a place is performing - not just economically, but also socially.

Each place is given a 'vibrancy score', with 100 being the average.