- First images of ‘new’ Riverside pool site unveiled
- Residents thanked for hospice generosity
- New grants to promote energy efficiency
- Station redevelopment plans approved
- Christmas waste and recycling collections
- Schools top national results tables
- Christmas and new year opening hours
- One step closer to ‘Achieving for Children’
- Borough’s bloomers praised by Mayor
- Residents asked about future plan for Twickenham
- Listening to Twickenham businesses
- Richmond calls for Government action on metal theft
- Robo-Attack at the Riverside Gallery
- Keep safe this Christmas
- Riverside jewel to be borough's latest open space
- Council with community at its heart
- Christmas cheer for older residents
- Crane Park Christmas present for residents
- Borough on the way to recovery
- Children with autism get special screening at Richmond Cinema
- Hampton families invited for sneak preview at new family centre
- Rocking at the Urban Christmas Carol
- Mr Marc Cranfield Adams
- Deck the Halls with the Garden Gang
- Residents invited to create local anthology about Barnes
- High quality secondary education for all
- Attention! Kneller Hall available for weddings
Release Date: 09/12/2011
Borough on the way to recovery
New statistics published by respected think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) shows Richmond upon Thames is among the top 10 boroughs most likely to recover quickly from the effects of the recession.
The IPPR has published comprehensive details on how well all 406 local authority areas in the UK are recovering from the down turn in terms of economic growth and job creation. The research, carried out by Oxford Economics, part of the University of Oxford, places Richmond upon Thames as number seven.
Cllr Pamela Fleming, Richmond Council’s Cabinet Member for Community, Business and Culture, said: “This is welcome news for the 10,000 businesses in our borough, who must be wondering when they will see the good times again. We’re not out of the woods yet, and the Council will continue to give practical help local shops and firms, but it is good to know we are heading in the right direction, and at a faster rate than many other places.
“Working together with business, breaking down barriers and encouraging private sector growth has been the hallmark of this administration’s approach to combating the recession. The best way to get out of the economic doldrums we have been in is for firms to grow, and create jobs.
“There will obviously be many other reasons why we are recovering quicker than other parts of the Capital and the country, such as residents’ willingness to spend in our local shops and the support of traders’ groups, but it is gratifying to know we appear to be doing the right thing.”
Richmond Council has just launched its Uplift strategy to improve high streets in Whitton and four other areas. The Council is removing yellow lines in six town
centres to make it easier for shoppers to park. More than 27,000 residents now have a RichmondCard which entitles them to 30 minutes free parking in any on street parking space or car park controlled by the Council. The Council has also employed a Business and Retail Champion to create stronger links between shops and firms and the authority, and to encourage new businesses to set up or relocate to the borough. In the near future, the Council will begin work on improving Twickenham town centre. Policies in many areas of the Council work have been or are in the process of being adapted to make the authority more business-friendly and less bureaucratic. All of this is intended to create a reputation for the borough as a good place to do business.
The economic forecasting by Oxford Economics and the IPPR suggests employment levels in London will return to its 2008 peak by 2014. It shows that employment levels in 2020 will be 10 per cent higher in London than in 2008.
Katie Schmuecker, Senior Research Fellow for the Institute for Public Policy Research, said in her report: “Increased employment rates matter for many reasons. For the exchequer, higher employment means greater tax revenues and lower benefits payments; while for the individual, in most cases employment results in higher incomes, economic inclusion and increased self-esteem.”
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