Figures paint a depressing picture of town's decline

View of Rochdale's College Bank Flats

The extent of Rochdale's decline in the current recession has been highlighted by the Research Institute Centre for Cities.

Of the 64 towns and cities in their annual report, Cities Outlook 2009, Rochdale is one of the worst performing areas.

The report provides rankings on a range of six different measures from one to 64, where one is the best placed and 64 the worst. On all six measures, Rochdale is listed in the bottom 10.

Rochdale is 58th out of 64 for social deprivation, 54th for the quality of the built environment, 57th for employment rate, 55th for earnings growth, 56th for percentage claiming benefit and 56th for residents with no qualifications.

Employment rate, earnings growth, benefit claimants and residents with no qualifications were all factors used in last year's report. Then Rochdale did not appear in the bottom 10 in any of them; now it is in the bottom 10 for all of them.

The report also includes a listing of the 10 areas with the least development of the newer knowledge-intensive businesses and related employment. In that list, Rochdale appears second to bottom, with only Wakefield below.