THE ECONOMY in Rugby is growing faster than the national average, a business meeting has heard.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Rugby branch met at the Draycote Hotel and heard from Warwickshire County Council senior economist Sunny Parekh and Mark Pawsey MP.
Mr Parekh told the meeting that Rugby was the third largest economy in Warwickshire, contributing 16 per cent of the county’s economic activity.
He said the borough’s economy had grown by 30 per cent since 2009 – faster than the national average – and was ‘bucking the trend’ in business start-ups and employment.
He added: “Across a number of key indicators, it is a very positive, bright picture for Rugby and the surrounding borough.
“In many areas, Rugby’s growth is bucking the national trend. On a county-wide basis, it makes up 44 per cent of the total of Warwickshire’s transport and logistics sector but it is also seeing strong growth in other sectors too, such as manufacturing and engineering.”
Mark Pawsey MP said the statistics were very positive.
He said: “It is great to hear the borough is performing so strongly, but it comes as no surprise to me when you consider what a great place this is to do business.
“As well as the positives, it was good to hear from businesses and from the Chamber around some of the areas where companies believe the government can do more to unlock growth potential.
“I will be feeding some of that back and, also, look forward to the Chancellor’s first budget in March.”
Peter Burns, a past president of the Chamber who chaired the meeting, said there were exciting times ahead for Rugby.
He said: “There is a very positive outlook for Rugby and that was reflected at the branch meeting.
“The Chamber will always speak up on behalf of companies across the area and it’s great to be able to have our voice heard by our MPs and the local authorities.”
