Warrington Borough Council's Tech Secret

Warrington Borough Council’s CEO says technology is the borough’s best-kept secret.

18:01 08 April 2019

Warrington Borough Council’s CEO Steven Broomhead said that the borough’s best-kept secret is technology. Speaking at the Warrington’s Business Exchange’s annual conference on March 21, he said that Birchwood Park, which the council bought for £311million, is was hotbed for technology firms.

 

“There are lots of tech businesses on there and there are lots of other businesses which are enabled through technology,” he said

 

“On Omega there's logistics. They are enabled by technology, and if take the Asda Walmart site on Omega, there are 800 jobs there, 400 of them are involved in robotics and technology. It's hidden, but it's growing and it’s an enabler.

 

“I think the digital and tech sector is Warrington’s best-kept secret. Our identity is quite strong. We're seen as a place to come and invest. It's a good place for employment and a good place to live in. We're very well connected on rail and road.”

 

Amanda Williams, the global HR director of Warrington-headquartered tech firm NDS Global, said that Warrington tech sector isn’t widely known.

 

“People think of the cities first,” she said. “Warrington is not known and I think that is probably a brand piece that we're not proactive on.

 

“Warrington is good for business. We do find people. We are an SME so we've got that challenge compared to some bigger organisations from the overall salary and remuneration, but because we're personable and agile and people can make a difference, we do manage to recruit.”