Danczuk linked to developer threatening legal action against Council!

Rochdale Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Simon Danczuk

Sultan Properties, the developer threatening legal action against Rochdale Council, in a media release prior to the local elections alleged that the Council's response to Sultan's proposed legal challenge had something to do with the elections – the media release was sent by Kevin Lee of Vision Twentyone, who is also the former Regional Director of the Labour Party in the North West.

Rochdale Council rebutted the allegation in a joint statement from the three party leaders, Councillor Alan Taylor, Council Leader and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Allen Brett, Leader of the Labour Group and Councillor Ashley Dearnley, Leader of the Conservative Group.

• Allen Brett is also the agent of Rochdale Labour Parliamentary Candidate Simon Danczuk.
• The decision to give the regeneration contract to Wilson Bowden was a unanimous cross party decision that Labour's Allen Brett agreed with.
• The company behind Sultan Properties current media agenda is Vision Twentyone.
• Vision Twentyone is owned by Rochdale Labour Parliamentary Candidate Simon Danczuk.

To summarise: The local Labour Party, led at the time by Mr Danczuk's agent Allen Brett, agreed to a decision to award a contract to Wilson Bowden. As a result of that decision Sultan Properties proposes to take legal action and retains the services of a company, Vision Twentyone, owned by local Labour Party man, Mr Danczuk, to try and discredit the decision agreed to by Mr Danczuk's agent, Allen Brett!

Paul Rowen MP said: "Simon Danczuk, is a Director and Founder of the company that is working on behalf of Sultan Properties. He claims that he is working for the people of Rochdale. Now it is clear that he is putting his own profits first. Make no mistake, the legal challenge could delay our much-needed regeneration and cost us millions. I am now asking Danczuk to reveal how much his company is making from Sultan Properties? Whether he put any pressure on former Labour Leader Allen Brett to change his mind? And what meetings he has personally had with Sultan Properties?"

The Lib Dems also say they have written to Vision 21 asking them how much they have contributed to Labour's local election campaign and how much their contract with Sultan Properties is worth.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "For Paul Rowen to question Simon's interests is a bit rich when you consider that in the Register of Members Interests it clearly lists that he has a remunerated directorship with Corinya Holdings, a company that has a considerable portfolio of buildings in Rochdale. One of these is Rochdale Council's Housing Offices in Middleton. Public money is lining Paul Rowen's pocket for the rental of this building. Furthermore, Paul Rowen is so busy serving the people of Rochdale as your MP that he also finds time to be paid by IDEA to do consultancy work for other councils.

"Simon, on the other hand, is not an elected politician funded by a generous wage out of the public purse. He has also made it clear that should he be elected as MP he will be giving up his share of Vision 21 to do the job full time with a proper commitment to the people of Rochdale."