Council has spent £350,000 on 'revitalising the Rochdale brand'

Steve Rumbelow, Chief Executive of Rochdale Borough Council, says 'sometimes we need specialist services'

With yet more services being cut and staff facing redundancy as the Council seeks to close a £33million hole in its finances, we can reveal that the Council has spent £350,000 with Hull-based business management consultants 'Thinking Place' for help to tell the Rochdale 'story'.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/112330/rochdale-borough-council-faces-more-cuts-as-33-million-slashed

The money, which has been handed over from 2009 to date, includes £33,000 so far this year (see PDF below for full details).

Rochdale Online reported in August that the Council had paid Thinking Place £12,000 for a 97 second promotional film to "show its vision of Rochdale", it has now been revealed that the cost was in fact £14,460.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/111658/council-pays-%C2%A312000-for-a-97-second-promotional-film

Other sums paid include £7,500 for a photographic project, £4,400 for a talking story book and £1,100 for design of a banner.

When the contract was first awarded, Penny Sharp, then head of regeneration at Rochdale Borough Council, said: "We want to capture the essence of what the borough should stand for and develop a vision, values and marketing theme.

"A revitalised brand and marketing plans will help change perceptions of Rochdale borough among investors, developers and the media - as well as helping to raise aspirations and confidence levels of local residents and businesses.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/25025/a-%C2%A367000-local-rebrand-brought-to-you-by-a-company-in-hull

Asked to comment this week on the amount spent with Thinking Place and why, Steve Rumbelow, the chief executive of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Like all public organisations the council purchases goods and services from a wide range of different providers. Sometimes we need specialist services and expertise from people who it would not make sense to employ on a full-time basis.

"All of our spend above £500 is published online so that people can rightly see where we are using our resources.

"Thinking Place, who the council first commissioned in 2009, has worked with a number of other towns and cities across the UK, helping them to attract inward investment and increase tourism among other things.”

The Council Cabinet meets tonight (Thursday 14 September) to discuss the budget programme. A consultation on savings proposals will run from Monday 18 September to 1 November 2017.

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