Labour candidate calls on RDA to wake up to town's job losses

Rochdale's Labour Parliamentary Candidate Simon Danczuk has called on the Rochdale Development Agency to wake up to the urgency of the employment situation in the town following today's announcements, revealed exclusively by Rochdale Online, that nearly 150 jobs are to be lost through the closure of PGC Renault and A Novo and Wicanton Transport's withdrawal from Woolworths.

Mr Danczuk said that the news, which comes hard on the heels of recent job losses when Rochdale's MFI store closed down, should act as a “severe warning” to the Rochdale Development Agency.

“Rochdale is haemorrhaging manufacturing jobs and the retail sector is now seriously under threat,” he said. “I accept that Rochdale Development Agency cannot do anything about national companies like Woolworths but they can and should have done a lot more to bring jobs to our town. They really have to change their approach and start fighting for every job in Rochdale.”

He added that earlier this year he had clashed with the chief executive of Rochdale Development Agency, John Hudson, on this issue at a public meeting at Rochdale Labour Club.

“I told John Hudson at the time that Kingsway Business Park could not afford to be turning away jobs and staking its future on some blue sky idea of bringing a wave of high-tech prestigious companies here,” he explained.

“John Hudson said in front of everyone at the meeting that this was a 15-year plan and that we needed ‘to hold our nerve’. I say to him now, we’re heading for a painful recession and it's time he put aside his vanity, changed course and started to fight for every single job in Rochdale, whether they be prestigious or not.

"Unemployment will cause untold misery to families across this town and the RDA will have to bear some responsibility for that knowing they turned away Carcraft and Whip and Bourne because these jobs did not fit with their vision for Kingsway.

“I think he has badly misread the economic situation and it’s time he stopped thinking about the more exalted high end of business and focused on the bread and butter reality of helping people support their families and keep a roof over their heads.”

A spokesperson for Rochdale Development Agency said that RDA would not comment on what they termed 'personal attacks'.