Jobs boom as Home Office moves in

THE Home Office is to open a major new regional centre at Warrington – bringing many new jobs to the town.
Almost 160,000 square feet of office space will be involved at Birchwood.
The announcement comes after a 15-month search for a suitable site, according to Coun Ian Marks, leader of Warrington Borough Council, (pictured).
He said the managing director of the property owner at Birchwood had described the move as “an outstanding achievement for all involved” – the Homes and Communities Agency and Warrington Borough Council – particularly during the planning process.
This had been instrumental in the Home Office decision to choose Birchwood, he said.
Coun Marks said a study published by consultants had looked at the proportion of high growth businesses in different areas – known as “Gazelles”.
They looked at businesses that had achieved a turnover of £1m in three years or had reached £0.5m but were expected to grow by 20 per cent in the next three years.
The highest figure in the UK was London, with seven per cent. In the North West, the Warrington sub region was highest, with six per cent, ahead of Manchester with 5.6 per cent.
But for individual local authorities in the North West, the leading council was Warrington with 7.9 per cent – even better than London.
Coun Marks said with the new Asco supermarket opening in the former Woolworth’s building in the town centre also adding more jobs, a different picture of Warrington as a jobs market was revealed – the other side of the coin to that shown in the recent Audit Commission report which had criticised employment opportunities in deprived areas of Warrington.
He said: “It is true that unemployment has increased in disadvantaged areas of Warrington – but this has happened in every other borough as well.”