Rochdale has one of the highest rates of empty business premises

Seven empty units in the Wheatsheaf Centre - twelve on Yorkshire Street

Rochdale has one of the highest rates of empty business premises in the UK, Rochdale Online can reveal.

Rochdale is sixth in a table of areas with the highest vacancy levels in the country with the percentage of properties lying empty rising from 16.1pc to 21.3pc, with 1,394 vacant units.

There appears to have been a major decline in the past 12 months as it is understood Rochdale was not in the top 100 the previous year.

Mark Widdup, Rochdale Council Executive Director of Economy and Environment said: "Rochdale Council and Rochdale Development Agency are working hard with our partners in the public and private sector to encourage new businesses into the area."

Local MP, Simon Danczuk says the figures are of "great concern" to him. He said: "I am in close contact with many businesses in the town centre and I expect we may lose a few more shortly simply because of sky high business rates.

"The Government made a huge mistake in cancelling their revaluation of business rates because we desperately need to realign property values. Traders are paying rates on the basis of a 2008 rateable value, which was near the height of the property boom. It simply bears no relation to today's value and means that traders are being overtaxed. Last year's decision by the Government to introduce the biggest rise in business rates in 20 years was a scandal.

"I also think the Council can and should be doing more to support the town centre and I will be meeting with the Council's chief executive and a senior regeneration officer shortly to discuss this."

Council Executive Director Mr Widdup says subsidies may be offered to businesses that take up empty units, he said: "The High Street Foundation, a business led initiative continues to work across the borough, primarily to support retailers. Discussions are taking place to offer subsidies for businesses that take up current vacant units.”

Former Rochdale High Street Foundation chairman, Paul Turner Mitchell, who resigned because he felt the High Street Foundation, set up by the Council, is effectively just a council sop to businesses, said: “These figures are not surprising and are a result of weak consumer confidence, unfair and excessively high business rates from central government and the Council’s failure to show any leadership on supporting small businesses or offering any clear regeneration strategy.

“We’ve had too many mixed messages. On the one hand we hear promises from councillors that big high street chains have signed up to come to Rochdale and then on the other there’s an admission from officers that this is not true.

"The reality is that since the grooming scandal hit Rochdale our council has taken its eye off the ball where the town centre is concerned and this drift is costing us dearly.”