A SURVEY of Wales’ strongest local economies amidst the Covid-19 pandemic has named Denbighshire in first place.

Research carried out by Raisin UK, the savings bank marketplace, used data to analyse which cities and regions have the ability to bounce back from the pandemic. This included multiple sources from the ONS and Commons Library, including businesses’ five-year survival rate, CPI index, the growth of large businesses and government spending per head.

It also looked at employment rate, percentage of population, and birth and death rates.

Overall the survey found that Denbighshire, which has a 42.5 per cent business survival rate, is in one of the best positions of all of Wales' counties to recover from a year in lockdown.

It also found that while in 2015 had 385 large businesses, the number had risen to 450 in 2019, an increase of 16.88 per cent.

Meanwhile 76 er cent of residents are employed, with 6.3 per cent claiming welfare support.

“Denbighshire rank #1 for Welsh local economies, and are expected to bounce back from Covid-19 pretty quickly,” Raisin UK said.

It added: “The last 12 months have been unpredictable, to say the least. With high streets being forced to shut – then hurriedly reopen under strict conditions – then shut again, it’s been an incredibly challenging time for the economy. Research has suggested that almost half of small businesses had to seek funding to survive throughout the pandemic, but were confident they could bounce back.

“While it might have helped many of us as consumers to save money, businesses have had to quickly adapt or risk going under.”

Meanwhile, the Isle of Anglesey was named in third place. It has a 48.7 per cent business survival rate.

It had 210 businesses in 2015 and 230 in 2019, a 9.52 per cent increase. A total of 5.2 per cent of residents claim welfare.

Gwynedd was ranked eighth in the survey with a 47.4 per cent business survival rate. It had 510 large businesses in 2015, which has increased by 3.92 per cent to 530 in 2019. A total of 5.2 per cent of residents claim benefits.

Other counties in the list were Monmouthshire, in second place, Powys in fourth, Cardiff in fifth, Ceredigion in sixth, and Rhondda Cynon Taf in seventh place.