Rochdale Appoints Rachel Laver to Lead Growth Push as Police Impose 48-Hour Town Centre Order
Rachel Laver has taken the reins as managing director at Rochdale Development Agency, the group announced Thursday. The move comes as Greater Manchester Police hit the town centre with a 48-hour dispersal order following reports of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage. The overlap is significant: Rochdale is trying to shift from pitching ideas to actually executing its manufacturing-driven growth agenda. Last month, Atom Valley announced the first major project in its cluster—the Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre, or SMMC—will get up to 15 million pounds from Greater Manchester’s Good Growth Fund, which is a regional investment pool. Police, meanwhile, said they needed additional powers heading into the bank holiday weekend.