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Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
What our client wanted
The Rochdale Economic Partnership plays a leading role in efforts to drive forward the Rochdale economy and deliver the wider aims of the Jobs and Prosperity theme of Pride of Place, the Rochdale Borough Community Strategy. The Partnership’s current strategy was developed in 2007/8, at a time of growth in the wider economy and substantial levels of public funding for regeneration. Much has changed since then, including a severe economic downturn and an evolving funding and policy context. As a result, the Partnership identified a need to review the strategy and identify whether and where a different or enhanced approach was required. It was also recognised that there may be a need to refresh the operational aspects of the Partnership to fit with the new environment. We were appointed to undertake this wide ranging review.
What we did
The review comprised three major strands of work:
- Undertaking a fresh look at the performance and dynamics of the Rochdale economy, including highlighting a number of specific challenges and opportunities.
- Identifying the implications for Rochdale from the evolving national, regional and sub-regional policy context.
- Assessing how effective the Partnership have been in improving the Borough’s fortunes.
The work involved a comprehensive economic analysis, in depth assessment of existing initiatives and a wide ranging consultation programme. This provided a sound evidence base for the updating of the strategy and agreeing a refreshed set of priorities, which are now being taken forward by partners. The work included:
- A consideration of how economic linkages to the wider area could be maximised, including to Manchester and other neighbouring authorities.
- Developing options for reducing the reliance on public sector employment and promoting more indigenous enterprise.
- Examining how local priorities aligned with the emerging Greater Manchester strategy and the policies of the new coalition government.
- Exploring how to achieve a more dynamic private sector and make better use of assets to secure new investment.
What difference we made
The key findings from the review were drawn together to form a set of evidence-based conclusions and recommendations. The principal conclusion is that the vision and objectives of the current economic development strategy remain valid but there is a need to focus on a narrower set of priorities and to develop new creative solutions to securing investment and making the best use of available resources. A set of 16 detailed recommendations are made to guide the future work of the Economic Partnership under three headings – Business, People and Place. These recommendations are now being taken forward in a detailed action plan.