Rochdale Council’s £91,000 ‘reward’

Rochdale Council chiefs have been handed more than £91,000 by the Government as a “reward” for successfully promoting growth in the borough.

The Local Authority Business Growth Incentives (LABGI) scheme has been running since 2006, as an incentive for councils to keep promoting their area and attracting growth.

Councillor Mohammad Sharif, cabinet member for regeneration on Rochdale Council, said: “A wide group of people from the council, partners and stakeholders met recently to talk about supporting people during the credit crunch. An action plan from that workshop is currently being put together, so it is possible that this funding will help us to continue to support local businesses and individuals through the economic downturn.”

Local Government Minister John Healey announced that 43 councils in the North West would receive more than £13.6 million to spend on what they saw fit. Money is not ring-fenced but can be spent however council bosses decide.

Mr Healey said: “Over the last three years, the LABGI scheme has made a real difference to local communities. In these difficult economic times, it has an even more important role to play."

Nationally, 371 councils are sharing £100million.