The national and international debate around happiness is often centred on the fact that wealth doesn’t make us happier: suggest- ing that wellbeing and prosperity decoupled a long time ago.

The big difference for Manchester is that although economic growth in the city is faster than the national average – prosperity hasn’t reached everyone and there is still too much deprivation.

The decades of deprivation that Manchester has suffered is still impacting on communities. Manchester has experienced sustained regeneration, however many of the communities still experience high levels of deprivation.

In the 2007 Index of Multiple Deprivation, the city was ranked the fourth most deprived area in the country in spite of continued economic growth and buoyancy in key areas including the City centre.

The Happy Manchester report, which you can download below, looked at what the city was doing in 2008 to turn the situation around.