Simon Danczuk - Rochdale’s Labour Parliamentary Candidate

Hundreds of people have signed a petition calling on Rochdale Council to do more to help struggling traders in the town centre. Led by Rochdale’s Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Simon Danczuk, the campaign is calling on the Lib Dem ruling group to take action by introducing two hours free parking at any time, helping independent traders by offering rent and shop fitting subsidies, and converting empty shops into farmers markets, social enterprises or community centres.

“We’ve had an incredible response,” said Simon, “and I expect many more people to add their names in support as the campaign develops. The council seems paralysed by inertia and people are angry that they’re letting our town centre fall into decline. Rochdale has already been hit harder by the recession than any other borough in Greater Manchester and unless the council takes action soon to protect our town centre I fear the damage could be worse.”

Calling for a huge collective effort to lift our local economy, Mr Danczuk said that while there is no shortage of ideas and suggestions from local people as to what needs to be done, the council was “burying its head in the sand” and watching shops close like a disinterested bystander. “With the right action we can start to turn our local economy around and inject some confidence in the town centre,” he added.

Speaking after town centre business bosses and shopkeepers recently told the Rochdale Observer that “shoppers and workers are seeing no incentive here” as shoppers were choosing to shop in Bury instead, Mr Danczuk said that in one afternoon of meeting shoppers in the town centre he had heard hundreds of complaints.

“I heard ex market traders complain at how rents in Rochdale are more expensive than Bury,” he said. “I heard angry shoppers complain at how the empty shops were an eyesore and needed to be filled, and I heard families say they’re sick of getting parking tickets by over eager parking wardens. I was asked questions on all manner of local issues from the abandoned town centre regeneration scheme and under age drinking to problems with litter and a need for more street markets. It’s clear that people feel very passionately about their town centre and they do not feel their concerns are being addressed".

Mr Danczuk is calling on the council to use new Government powers to fill empty shops like many other local authorities are doing. “The Rochdale Pioneers will be spinning in their grave at the amount of entrepreneurial talent going to waste because of our council’s short-sightedness,” he said. “Our Council have the power to waive business rates for non-profit organisations and they should be making use of those powers to fill empty shops and keep our town alive".

Notes:

The Labour Government has a range of measures to help town centres, including:

• Special planning permission waivers called Local Development Orders allow council to set local permitted development and change of use rules. New legislation will mean these powers no longer need to be linked to existing development plans which will allow local planning authorities to implement LDOs with greater speed and flexibility.
• Standard ‘interim-use’ leases - landlords need to be assured that there is a proper legal basis for any temporary uses and that they will be able to take the empty premises back as soon as commercially viable. To help minimise the cost of setting up such arrangements, Government will create specimen legal documents that landlords can use for temporary occupiers.
• Temporary leasing of shops to councils - Not all landlords will want to lease to temporary occupiers. In these cases local Councils can step in as an intermediary and agree new temporary, or “meanwhile”, leases that enable the Council to use the property by granting an interim licence to a local group for community uses.
• The Government's 'Real Help for Business now' plan offers free business health checks, skills training, a £20b working capital scheme and an aim to pay Government suppliers within 10 days. 70% of all properties will now be exempted from empty property rates and businesses can also defer 60% of next year’s rate increase and transitional relief increase to the following two years.
• Town centre planning rules already give councils the power to refuse a new development that might harm the high street. Local planning and licensing powers can also limit a particular type of shop in a town to prevent too much of the same business or unwanted nightlife.
• Local Business can agree with councils to establish Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) using ring fenced business rates to improve the business environment of the town centre. 71 BIDs have been established since 2004.
• The £100m Local Enterprise Growth Initiative is stimulating enterprise in twenty deprived local areas.
• Landlords are already expected sign up to an industry code that expects them to offer shorter term leases and move off upward-only rent review clauses that allow them increase rents unchecked. And a step-by-step ‘occupier’s guide’ helps tenants navigates the leasing process.