Brighton and Hove is in the premier league of British cities, according to new research.

Despite only just attaining city status it has already been ranked as one of the top 28 places to be in England.

At the other end of the scale, however, Hastings is identified as a declining town in an otherwise booming South.

The results, published yesterday, are part of a study looking at the fortunes of towns and cities in England and Wales during the 20th century.

The research, carried out by staff at University College, London, the Bartlett School of Planning and the University of Southampton, also found more evidence of a north-south divide.

Researchers found the majority of places which gained in terms of status between 1913 and 1998 were in the southern half of the country.

But one thing the North and South do have in common is that traditional seaside resorts, such as Hastings, have generally been in decline.

The researchers used league tables to assess the status of each town or city. Important factors included whether a place had a university or college and a direct rail link to London.

Brighton scored high alongside Leicester, Southampton, Reading and Oxford.

A second league table was drawn up based on whether a town had key chain stores such as Boots, Marks & Spencer and Woolworths at certain intervals during the 85-year period.

The results showed medium-sized northern industrial towns were generally declining while places in the South had gained.

Even new towns in the North showed less growth than their southern counterparts.

Professor Sir Peter Hall of UCL, who led the research, said: "This study certainly suggests there is a north-south divide and it appears it has been around longer than we perhaps thought."