WARRINGTON’S high ranking in the national “league table” for economic prosperity is a tribute to the people who live and work in the borough, according to a council chief.
Leader of the borough council Ian Marks (pictured) made the comment during a Town Hall debate on a recent report from the independent Centre for Cities organisation.
The centre has ranked Warrington at No 8 in the national economic prosperity index – the only northern English town or city in the Top 10 and well ahead of Manchester at No 19.
Coun Marks said: “This is a tribute to everyone who lives and works here.
“But we all know this simple statistic hides big differences between different parts of our borough which we are working hard to reduce.”
Warrington is given high rankings by Centre for Cities in other “league tables.”
In the earnings index, Warrington is fifth with average earnings of £520.50.
On employment, Warrington is 12th, with an employment rate of 77.2 per cent.
The town comes 18th in the earnings growth index, with a 4.2 per cent increase over the last two years.
When it comes to residents with high skills levels, Warrington comes 13th nationally, with 32.2 per cent of the population have NVQ4 or higher qualification.
But at the same time, the borough also comes 19th in the table for people with no qualifications at all, with 11.9 per cent of the population in this position.
And Warrington is also ranked highly – 8th in the country – in the index of multiple deprivation.
The population has increased by 6,300 in the period 1997-2007, making the borough 29th in the table for population growth.
*The figures are the latest available in each case and do not take account of the impact of the economic recession.
