Rochdale's not got talent!

A report into the factors which contribute to business growth in towns and cities has concluded that Rochdale lacks talented people and is ranked in the bottom ten of all the towns and cities in the UK. 

Authored by Professor Francis Greene from the University of Birmingham, an expert in the UK business landscape, the report, commissioned by Santander, utilises an extensive range of official data and examines the business ‘building blocks’ that help make a town more or less business competitive.

Rochdale is ranked 65th out of 74 for talent - the author uses three measures to help identify if there are suitably qualified people that businesses can draw upon from these communities.

The report says: "A second important feature is that local communities have people of sufficient calibre to support business development: the argument here is that ‘smart’ places need ‘smart’ people."

Rochdale also ranks very badly for connectivity 69th out of 74 - the author uses two measures of how well connected businesses are in terms of internet provision.

The report says: "The internet has become a key tool for most businesses and how towns and cities have fostered and invested in an online and dynamic business environment has become crucial for their on-going development."

Rochdale specific conclusions from the report:

• It is beneficial when a local economy can employ as many local people as possible. Rochdale is way below the average, indicating that it has to ‘import’ jobs from elsewhere.
• Rochdale’s high claimant count rate means there is less likelihood of wage rate inflation, however, this is not currently a problem for many businesses. The bigger economic problem is low demand for goods and services. Areas with high claimant rates are more likely to have lower levels of demand in their local economy.
• Rochdale has relatively high levels of its population with no qualifications. While this may advantage businesses seeking low wage (low skilled) individuals, favourable business conditions are increasingly found in areas that have fewer unqualified individuals. A lack of qualifications is also often associated with poorer social outcomes, constraining the types of niches that businesses can adopt.
• Broadband speed is slower on average in Rochdale. This is a proxy for connectivity, with less well connected towns/cities being less likely to enjoy favourable business conditions.
• High levels of poor internet connectivity amongst consumers make it difficult for businesses to communicate effectively with their customer base.

A local businessman, who did not want to be named, said: "Instead of the council labelling people who point out the problems with Rochdale as 'negative' and accusing them of 'talking the town down', they should accept the criticism as reality and perhaps then they may start to get to grips with what can be done to change things."