Brighton is the most sustainable city with the best quality of life in Britain, according to a leading environmental charity.

Top for sustainability
The charity, Forum for the Future, unveiled Brighton as top overall in the Sustainable Cities Index, which ranks the 20 largest British cities according to three key criteria:

Ongoing improvements
The Forum selected these index categories to reflect the sustainability of each city in a balanced way. 13 indicators, spread across the 3 categories were used. The indicators use existing data on areas of performance on which cities are already expected to make improvements.

Best quality of life
Brighton came top, nearly 10 points above Edinburgh, its nearest rival. It was found to have the best quality of life, with a healthy life expectancy of 65, as well as public satisfaction with green spaces and buses.

Commitment to climate change
Fairly low unemployment and a highly educated population also counted, as did the council's commitment to tackling climate change and recycling.

Forum for the Future was started by a founder member of Greenpeace.

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