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Lib Dems finally listening
Posted By: Ibrar Khan
Date Posted: 19/08/2009
I was pleased to read recent reports that the Lib Dems have at long last decided to act on the empty shops in Rochdale and want to use some empty space for an Afflecks Palace style emporium in an our town. This is a sure sign that Councillor Greg Couzens is finally listening to Government policy on empty shops.
Three months ago Hazel Blears MP came to Rochdale and said that we needed to use new Government powers to offer low rents and short term contracts to fill empty shops and support budding entrepreneurs. At the time these words fell on deaf ears and all we heard from the Lib Dems was the constant and tiresome mantra of “exciting times coming to Rochdale” at some undisclosed date in the future.
Now we know that these “exciting” regeneration plans for our town centre won’t be completed until at least 2020. For many people that is an age away. Is anyone honestly going to get excited about what’s happening in 11-years time? We need to know what’s happening now.
The Council must stop talking about far away events, start focusing on the here and now and give creative people a chance to inject some imaginative enterprise into our town centre. I congratulate Councillor Couzens for finally acting on the Government’s advice but if he had acted sooner like other local authorities have done then I believe our town centre would be in a healthier position and better equipped to come out of the recession.
When the Communities Secretary visited another Lib Dem run Council in Stockport in April this year, the Council was quick to get business leaders on board and show how they were turning empty shops into art galleries, photographic studios and performance space.
This demonstrates that whatever a Council’s political persuasion, if they are able to show willingness and use Government support then there is a great deal they can do very quickly to get rid of empty shops. Let’s not wait 18-months before we get creative people into a new Rochdale emporium. Let's start working with them now.
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