Rowen criticised for past failure to back Rochdale Metrolink bid

Date published: 27 July 2006

Rochdale MP Councillor Paul Rowen came in for heavy criticism at last night's (Wednesday 26 July) full council meeting over his abstention ten years ago on a crucial vote to bring Metrolink to Rochdale.

Councillor Rowen had moved a motion welcoming the Government announcement on the Metrolink expansion to Rochdale that the Conservative Group sought to amend by adding criticism of Councillor Rowen for allegedly supporting the Hazel Grove extension at Rochdale's expense ten years ago.

Councillor Ian Duckworth led the attack with his usual vitriolic style saying that Rowen's decision to abstain from a vote in 1996 may have prevented Rochdale getting the Metrolink extension much quicker. He then quoted the bible at Councillor Rowen reading from Matthew's Gospel Chapter 7 Verse 16 saying: "By their fruits you will know them."

Councillor Duckworth went on to ask what Councillor Rowen would do if the Lib Dem Party nationally introduced a three line whip in support of the Birmingham bid, that is in competition with the Greater Manchester bid for money: "would Councillor Rowen toe the party line or would he put his personal ambitions before the interests of Rochdale?"

Labour Councillor Allen Brett added that whilst he "supported the motion", he was concerned that one of the terms of winning the bid was that one Borough in Greater Manchester would have to commit to introducing congestion charging, would that Borough, he asked, be Rochdale?

William Hobhouse, Finance Portfolio Holder, rose to defend his Lib Dem colleague and explained that he believed that part of the reason for Greater Manchester's Metrolink success had been due to Boroughs supporting each other and not acting parochially, he said: "any attempt to put Rochdale first would result in the bid failing".

Conservative Leader Ashley Dearnley spoke of his dismay that the Lib Dems had made Metrolink a party political issue by excluding the Conservatives and Labour from a recent photo call and reminded the Lib Dems that with a Lib Dem MP, the support of the Conservatives, and especially of Labour, given we have a Labour Government, was crucial if the bid was to succeed.

Paul Rowen responded resolutely by assuring all in the Chamber that the Lib Dems were not seeking to play party politics. He also explained that he had not voted against the Rochdale bid ten years ago, calling the accusation "a lie, not correct, at odds with reality." He went on to promise that he would always put Rochdale first and as an independently minded politician, had voted against his party twice in the past week, and would have no problem doing so again should the party line be detrimental to Rochdale.