STRABANE’S economic development manager has challenged the findings of a report predicting a bleak economic future for the district.
A recent study by the Institute for Public Policy and Research (IPPR) suggests that Strabane is likely to be in recession longer than anywhere else in the UK.
The ‘Recovering from Recession’ report looked at how quickly locations are likely to bounce back from the downturn. Out of more than 400 area areas surveyed, Strabane was placed absolute last.
Echoing the damning 2005 findings of Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location programme which placed Strabane among the worst places in the UK, the IPPR used criteria including employment, demand for labour, desirability, attractiveness and enterprise to determine the list.
The IPPR study predicts that the City of London will begin recovering as early as 2014.
At the other end of the scale though is Northern Ireland. Eight of the worst 21 areas for predicted recovery are in the North, with Strabane ranked at a lowly 406. Not far behind, ranked at 405 was Derry followed by Coleraine, Limavady and Ballymoney.
Read the full story in this week's Strabane Chronicle
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