Member Article

Warrington affirmed as England’s top ‘city’ for growth - again.

Another two new sets of independent statistics have confirmed Warrington as a top UK ‘city’ for economic growth.

RBS’s Regional Growth Tracker which reviewed growth in Q2 2014 placed Warrington as the fastest growing region in the north of England and Grant Thornton’s ‘High Growth Index of Places’ ranked Warrington as having with the second highest growth in the UK.

The RBS Growth Tracker looked at overall growth in all nine English regions. Warrington had the fastest growth in the regions covering the North West, North East, Yorkshire & The Humber.

Rupert Seggins, economist at RBS said: “Warrington has been the North West’s standout performer this year, topping the region’s charts both in Q1 and in Q2. Indeed it has been one of the strongest growing local areas in the whole of the UK.

“The area’s specialisation in business services has proven to be the foundation for its success and this has been backed up by the region’s retailers, wholesalers and distributors as well.”

Grant Thornton’s High Growth Index ‘Where Growth Happens’ was an analysis if high growth and dynamic economies in England and Warrington was ranked second.

These findings concur with other independent economic reports published this year including the Centre for Cities report, Small Business Outlook, which ranked Warrington’s SME’s as number one in the UK for high growth.

Terry O’Neill, Leader of Warrington Borough Council, said: “Warrington is a high growth ‘city’. This isn’t an aspiration, it is a fact.

“However there is no room for us to be complacent. Our framework for Growth, Warrington Means Business is set in place to maintain and grow upon our enviable position of strength.

“Since adopting that framework eighteen months ago we have announced regeneration projects totalling over £490 million in value, of which over £240 million is committed and underway’.

Steve Park, managing director, Warrington & Co., Warrington’s Partnership for growth said: “These statistics are yet another endorsement of Warrington’s economic strength. The local economy consistently outperforms most of the UK.

“Plans continue to move forward at considerable pace in relation to the physical regeneration of the town centre and it has been interesting and encouraging to see a flurry of national and international investment activity in Warrington in recent weeks”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .