Prescott backs congestion charge

Photo: Jan Harwood

Rochdale's Labour Parliamentary Candidate Simon Danczuk and MP John Prescott

John Prescott MP showed his support for the Manchester congestion charge in an exclusive interview with Rochdale Online reporter Jan Harwood last night (Wednesday 16 July).

The former Deputy Prime Minister was in Rochdale to meet Labour party members after accepting an invite from Labour parliamentary candidate Simon Danczuk.

Mr Prescott said: "I am a firm believer that the scheme has worked in London and I believe it can be the same in Manchester. I know it is controversial but the main emphasis here should be on public transport. We brought the charge in London so we could improve transport and it's got to be the same here.

"The charge is of course the major controversy but it is essential that the money is available for these improvements to transport. The environment is changing; Manchester is no longer a motorway city, it is so much bigger and it is important that it is not dominated by the motor car. It is a difficult decision but it is the best we can get for the future of the city, the public transport network and the climate."

Mr Prescott has been in Rochdale before, and he spoke of the progress that the town has made and his thoughts on the future. He said: "I spoke in the town square ahead of the last general election and I have been here a few times before. This town should be proud of some things it has achieved but there is always more to do. Government has been made available and we are seeing all the signs that progress is being made with more people back at work, new building and redevelopment opportunities and hospital improvements. This is all to the benefit of Rochdale and the North West."

Mr Prescott put his faith in Simon Danczuk to win the parliamentary seat for Labour at the next election: "We just have to make sure we are always doing enough in the town, so that we can step in when the Lib Dems make a mistake. We've seen it before in places such as Sheffield, Hull and Liverpool where they fall apart and fall out with each other. Our job is to put our case forward, show what we believe in through our work in government. We just have to make that promise and let the electorate decide what is best."

However, Rochdale's MP Paul Rowen believes that the electorate Labour are hoping to win over will not be impressed that Mr Prescott did not make a public appearance in the town yesterday; a day when many of the town's council workers went on strike to protest at their 2.4% pay offer.

Mr Prescott spoke to Labour party members at the meeting last night about the new 'agency workers agreement', that will come into force next year, which aims to give greater rights to workers in Rochdale. With British employment law currently failing to protect more than 1.4million temporary workers, the new legislation hopes to ensure that agency workers are given the same employment rights as permanent staff after 12 weeks.

Paul Rowen said: "Mr Prescott's visit comes halfway through a time when our Town Hall is a ghost town. Many of our most vulnerable are suffering as a result of Council Services being effectively shut down. It is his Labour Government who has caused this strike and on a night when the red rose at the local Labour Club should be at half mast, we have John Prescott coming to talk about some workers' rights and not others.

“Of course I welcome Mr Prescott coming to Rochdale to discuss the agency workers' agreement but you can’t cherry pick which workers to support.

"There seems no point to Prescott’s visit other than a political get together that will achieve nothing.”