Universities support their local area and communities

​Universities are important hubs for their local area, boosting employment and spending​. Allied to this, their social and cultural influence places them right at the heart of the community.

Universities are major employers in their own right – often one of the largest in their area. And they generate further jobs indirectly, through their spending on local goods and services: for every 100 jobs at a university, 117 are created in the wider economy.

Besides these economic benefits, universities support their local community in all sorts of ways. They provide facilities for the community, for example sports centres shared with schools; they offer advice and consultancy to local residents and businesses; they help to shape local policy and strategy; they connect their research to local priorities, and act as vocal, high-profile advocates for their town, city or region.