OFFICIAL figures show Brighton is punching above its weight in the number of start-up companies it spawned in 2014.

Outside London, where 184,671 companies were created, only Manchester and Birmingham were higher than Brighton.

The greater city region created 8,344 new companies, behind Birmingham (18,337) and Manchester (13,054). The whole of the UK created 581,173 new businesses in 2014 – more than 60,000 more than the previous year.

Tony Mernagh, executive director of the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said: “Once again Brighton punches way above its weight, out-competing cities far larger than us in terms of start-ups per capita.

“Perhaps our shortage of large employers – we only have a handful employing more than 1,000 people – militates against the corporate life for our workforce so they set up new companies and go it alone or perhaps we are just more entrepreneurial.”

Monty Munford, chief executive of business support consultancy Mob 76, said the recent acquisition of PeerIndex by home-grown Brandwatch was proof the seaside city was competing with the capital for talent.

He said: “Why spend three or four hours on the train going up to London everyday when you can work in a city which is becoming a hub for all forms of companies, and which offers a way of life which even the most committed Londoner would envy?”

Laurence McCahill, co-founder of Happy Startup School and Spook Studio, said: “Brighton businesses are leading the way in better, more-human practices that focus on people before profit – Nixon McInnes, Propellernet and ourselves have all made the Worldblu list of the world's most democratic companies.

Ron Crank, chief executive of Coast to Capital LEP, added: “It is great to see that so many start-up businesses got off the ground in 2014.

“This fantastic news reflects Brighton and Hove’s vibrant economy and its progressive nature as a city, it is an excellent place to start a business.”