Rotherham 'will ride out downturn'

ROTHERHAM is in a good position to weather the storms affecting the economy, according to the man responsible for the town's development.

Karl Battersby was refuting a claim by financial research company Experian in a study for the BBC which ranked Rotherham 310th out of the 324 English councils in terms of its ability to cope with economic shocks such as the imminent cuts in public spending.

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Mr Battersby, Rotherham Council's strategic director for environment and development services, said manufacturing in the area was in a good position at the moment and was expected the benefit from demand for precision forged, machined and engineered components.

Rotherham's Advanced Manufacturing Park was also creating jobs and during 2009-2010 there had been 573 investments into Rotherham, leading to the creation of 3,084 jobs and safeguarded a further 2,914.