Bath has become one of the UK’s hotspots for investment in positive social and environmental projects such as those linked to energy, leisure and credit unions.
The city ranks third behind Oxford and Bristol in the latest report into positive investing in the UK from Ethex, the not-for-profit organisation that advises investors on ways their money can help good causes. 
The report shows the UK positive investing market has grown by 33% over the past year to £2.1bn.
Bath & North East Somerset Council welcomed the report. Councillor Ben Stevens, the council’s cabinet member for sustainable development, said: “This is fantastic news. Last year’s report identified 15 hotspots of positive investing around the UK. This year, Ethex found that two in every five UK businesses that has sought to raise funds in the last two years is based within 20 miles of one of these hotspots.
“This confirms that hotspots such as Bath are still the communities leading the trend towards local investment in positive social and environmental change.”
