British Tech Centers

The fastest growing areas are not (surprisingly?) in London.

... Tech Nation, the most comprehensive analysis of the UK’s digital industries ever conducted, reveals that the fastest growing tech clusters in the country today are each hundreds of miles away from the capital city.

Step forward Bournemouth, on the South coast of England, where the number of companies in the local technology cluster has grown 212 per cent over the past year; and welcome Liverpool, in the North-West, where the equivalent growth rate is 119 per cent. London, by contrast, managed only 92 per cent growth last year – hardly shabby, but well behind its provincial rivals.

In the relatively small area of Bournemouth and Poole, more than 7,000 people are now employed by digital businesses, with advertising, e-commerce and games developers all important players in the sector. It helps that Bournemouth University is home to the National Centre for Computing Animation, which provides a steady stream of talented graduates. ...

Of course, percentage increases can be deceiving. London starts from a larger base, so would have to add more jobs and companies to grow at the rate of Bournemouth and Liverpool.

But Britain is, without doubt, enjoying a tech surge. Never underestimate the propulsive power of an expanding digital universe ... or free money.