ABSTRACT
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) has been a unitary local authority since 1974. The decline of traditional industries created a gap between labour skills and employment opportunities in the Rotherham economy, necessitating a structural reorganisation of the local business sector in order to improve its responsiveness to new economic opportunities. Rotherham Industrial Development Office (RiDO) is responsible for implementing Rotherham's economic development strategy, which targets both inward investment and business expansion. Partnership working was seen and continues to be seen as necessary for economic growth. Community identity was described as ’glue’ to partnership in Rotherham and, partnership as ’glue’ to community identity. One specific role business leaders saw themselves as playing is in promoting the virtues of Rotherham to other potential business investors. The Rotherham Housing Partnership Ltd (RHPL) was established in 1994, when a need for new 'low cost affordable housing' was identified in Rotherham.
