Simon Danczuk - Letter from Parliament

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The audience watching Kevin Woodford cooking in the Feel Good Festival celebrity food kitchen

Last weekend’s Feel Good Festival lived up to its name and created a really positive atmosphere in Rochdale town centre.

As I strolled around the various stalls and stages it was incredible to see so many people enjoying themselves at this increasingly popular event.

As Mayor Surinder Biant said, the festival is growing year on year and and is gaining a reputation as a must-see event both in Rochdale and beyond.

It was a fantastic occasion which showed Rochdale at its best and I would love to see the town put on more of these kind of events.

I’m already looking forward to the Literature and Ideas Festival in October and the Beer Festival in November.

Festivals like this play a vital role in bringing visitors into the town centre and help boost the local economy.

Last week I met with Rochdale Town Centre Management Company to discuss the state of our high street.

I was delighted to hear that four budding entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the council’s reduced business rates scheme for empty properties, with seven more applications in the pipeline.

Work to reopen the River Roch is on course to finish early next year which I hope will bring a further boost to trade.

But there are still challenges ahead. Like many town centres, traders face strong competition from online retailers and out of town supermarkets.

I will be doing all I can in Parliament to promote and assist our town centre economy, not least by raising issues such as businesses rates and policing.

I want to see a vibrant and bustling high street which replicates the spirit of the Feel Good Festival all year round.