Warrington has credit rating as good as France!

WARRINGTON Borough Council is as financially resilient as France, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, according to the latest report by international credit agency Moody’s.
For the second year running Warrington has been awarded an ‘Aa2’ credit rating, the second highest possible, giving it a better position than all but 16 countries in the world.
Nations including China, Belgium and Japan all look up to Warrington in terms of financial stability according to the figures.
Moody’s carried out an in-depth evaluation of the council’s finances, governance, strategic plans, economic regeneration schemes and tructures.  It found that the town has a well-diversified economic area with “low unemployment, a strong institutional framework and a track record of budget delivery”.
The agency praised the council’s budget management – with £76.8 million saved over the past five years and also the authority’s proactive economic development strategy.
Cllr Russ Bowden, the council’s lead member for corporate finance, said: “This rating from a world-respected body shows how well we have managed our money in tough economic conditions. We will continue our work to improve the local economy and make Warrington a great place in which to live, invest and do business.
“As an authority we have had to be innovative and imaginative to grow a strong Warrington and insulate us from the austerity of central government. The whole town is working hard to keep us in this strong position.”
Warrington is a high growth location and key investment centre. It has a population of 207,000 which is larger than many cities including Chester, Oxford and Aberdeen. It is home to around 8,000 businesses employing 115,000 people and 17 of the largest locally controlled businesses have their headquarters in the borough. Warrington offers investors access to a huge workforce. There are 2.5m people of working age within a 30-minute drive of Warrington. This is the largest catchment area for any town outside the M25.