Title

Bottom of the economic league Hull City Council has come out fighting, claiming it can beat the recession and emerge a stronger player. The city came last in the economic prosperity index report by think-tank Centre for Cities. It was among those named in the Cities Outlook 2009 on the highest level ‘red' of vulnerability to the recession, because of high unemployment and high numbers with no qualifications. Centre for Cities director, Dermot Finch, said: ‘The recession will hit our cities in different ways, and some will be hit worse than others.' But Hull City Council's chief executive, Kim Ryley, said: ‘I think, if we manage the recession well, we could be in a stronger position to recover quickly. ‘We are not just trying to shield Hull from the recession but also to plan for the recovery after.' Liverpool was also ‘red' listed, but claims it has had enough previous experience to survive this recession. City council leader, Cllr Warren Bradley, said: ‘We are still dealing with the legacy of decline from the 1970s and 1980s, but every indication – including many in this report – is that we are catching up fast. Hastings was the only South East area to make it into the bottom five of the economic prosperity index. The most deprived coastal town in Britain, it claims a new business grant could hold the key to keeping the town's head above the choppy waters. A Hastings BC spokesman said: ‘We are using that money to try and combat some of the problems of the recession.' Oxford, Cambridge and Reading were considered best-placed to survive recession, due to their highly-qualified workforces and profusion of ‘knowledge' industries.

Title

WHITEHALL

Hull sees red but says it will beat recession

SUBSCRIBE TO CONTINUE READING