We're uncultured in the West Midlands, survey claims

But parts of the Black Country and Staffordshire are ahead of Birmingham in a set of rankings produced by arts and heritage experts.

All areas of the region finish in the bottom half of 325 across the country.

They have been rated by the Royal Society of Arts for their cultural assets and attractions, taking into account their size and population.

Walsall was worst in the region at 289th, followed by South Staffs at 287, Birmingham at 236, Stafford at 209, Wolverhampton at 189, Cannock at 187, Dudley at 166 and Sandwell at 158.

The top three in the country were the City of London, Kensington and Chelsea, and Scarborough, while the worst was Luton.

Each area is given a score for historic features; museums, archives and features; industrial heritage; parks and open space, landscapes; and 'cultures and memories'.

Dudley and Sandwell's higher ranking is due to their numbers of listed buildings and nature reserves.

Dudley has 270 listed buildings, 308 nature reserves, and attractions including the Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Zoo, while Sandwell has been boosted by its 144 country parks and 61,075m of canal, along with Haden Hill House Museum and The Hawthorns.

Wolverhampton's Museum and Art Gallery, the Civic and Wulfrun halls, Grand Theatre, Molineux and its university were singled out as the city's main selling points.

In particular, the Civic Hall draws some of the country's biggest bands and events like the Grand Slam of Darts, and is about to undergo a £10 million overhaul.

Cannock was helped by the Chase - one of the most famous beauty spots in the country - while Stafford's historic architecture and parks boosted its ratings.

But with just 150 listed buildings, Walsall has struggled to compete with its neighbours in the survey.

However civic leaders say the Garman Ryan art collection at the New Art Gallery, Walsall Arboretum and the town's leather museum all draw in visitors from across the country.

However Walsall Council leader Mike Bird said the writers of the report must have 'gone to Walsall with their eyes shut' and added: "These people come from the nether regions of who knows where, and make ill informed judgements like this that just contribute to a negative image of the area.

"We have got a lot to offer, and it is unfortunate we have lost some listed buildings with the loss of industries like lock making, but there is plenty to be positive about."

And Warley MP John Spellar said he was pleased Sandwell had performed comparatively well, but did not believe the borough should be judged on these terms.

He said: "This is not what we do - we make things here. I am really pleased to see companies coming to Sandwell - that is our real focus and it is what we have always done.

"It is where our strength lies and we need to keep sight of that. There will always be a tendency for these surveys to focus on the centre of a conurbation but I think Sandwell Council need to be congratulated for keeping in the borough in a reasonable position and steadily improving the cultural environment."

RSA Associate Director, Jonathan Schifferes said: "A comparison between local areas' heritage should generate a healthy debate about how to make the most of heritage.

"Today we have an unprecedented amount of data available relating to heritage – but many local communities struggle to access information and put it to use.

"The Heritage Index helps – showing relative strengths and weaknesses across a broad definition of heritage, letting us see where strengths could be consolidated and capitalized upon; or areas where under-performance might be addressed.

"While we appreciate that local heritage can often difficult to quantify and record, what's important is building public awareness about what's valued and why - what's missing and what should be there. The goal is a shared and richer understanding of what makes a place unique."