Letter from Parliament - Simon Danczuk MP

Simon Danczuk MP

Some time back when all sorts of rumours were swirling around the town I contacted Marks and Spencer’s head office to seek assurances that they remained committed to Rochdale. When I got off the phone I was left in no doubt of their commitment and in the last week we’ve seen further evidence of this in the form of a £500,000 refurbishment of their Yorkshire Street store and the recruitment of 14 new members of staff. The new store looks great, and it’s a fantastic vote of confidence in Rochdale from one of retail’s biggest names.

Another sign that business is keen to invest in Rochdale was seen this week in the opening of The Hornet, a new family friendly pub on Kingsway Business Park. Pub closures have steadily increased across the country in recent years so it was really encouraging to attend the launch of a new pub for our town.

Network Rail has closed almost 800 level crossings since 2010 and their track record on safety in this area is poor. I am particularly annoyed at the problems currently arising at the unmanned Smithy Bridge level crossing and am dismayed to hear of how technical failings are causing all sorts of disruption and chaos.

I have raised this in Parliament this week and written to the chief executive of Network Rail asking why the signalman was withdrawn before full and proper testing had taken place and why barriers are jamming for lengthy periods causing serious traffic problems.

I am seeking a meeting at the earliest opportunity and will be pressing for urgent action to solve these problems to ensure that local people have a safe and smooth-running level crossing.

It was great to see over 1,000 local youngsters take part in the second Rochdale skills event this week, but I remain convinced that much more needs to be done to champion working class kids, provide opportunities and instil greater confidence in communities.

I recently challenged a government advisor’s blog, which argued that working class kids must learn to be middle class to get on in life. A lack of visits to restaurants and theatres was holding them back, it claimed. This is nonsense and politicians everywhere need to start getting behind millions of ignored working class kids, stop knocking them and do more to foster a strong sense of pride. This way we can help communities everywhere realize their potential and reverse years of decline.