McDONALD’S contributes £9m per year to the Swindon economy according to new research published today.

The restaurant chain commissioned the independent report by Development Economics, a market analysis firm, which used various equations to land on the figure.

The Serving the UK: McDonald’s at 40 Report was researched to assess the contribution McDonald’s has made to the UK economy, communities, its employees, customers and suppliers since it first started operating in the UK in November 1974.

McDonald’s opened its first Swindon restaurant in August 1983 and as of December 2013 there were five in the local area, employing more than 500 people.

Swindon franchisee Paul Booth began his McDonald’s career more than 30 years ago and now runs eight restaurants across Swindon, Cirencester and Stroud.

He said: “Creating and sustaining jobs in Swindon is of huge importance to me and the fact that we have been able to make a significant financial contribution to the area is something my team and I are very proud of.

“We employ people based on their qualities not their qualifications.”