Council praised in recession report

Rochdale Council has been praised in a report that looks at how local councils are dealing with the recession.

The Audit Commission report 'When it comes to the crunch', said that too many councils were bland and unimaginative in their response to the recession, but Rochdale Council was one of few local authorities singled out for praise.

The report said that the town has learnt from the last recession and praised its early skills programme, which target's Rochdale workforce and aims to arm them with the skills needed for employment. A planning scheme to make land available for development once the economy improves was also commended.

The report said: "“The council has learnt and applied lessons from the previous recession and from the decline of major industries in the area.

"Early investment means that the impact for individuals and families is shallower and shorter-term, preventing benefit dependency and poor health.”