Shahid calls crisis meeting over town centre
27 February 2008
Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik has called a meeting with town centre traders to discuss what he called the dire crisis facing many retailers in Dewsbury.The meeting comes a week after three more High Street names confirmed they would be leaving the Princess of Wales Precinct and follows the departure of Blockbuster in January and Marks & Spencer last October. At the time Mr Malik held an emergency meeting with M&S chiefs from London in a last ditch attempt to reverse their decision.
The Labour minister has also been calling for Kirklees to relocate office-based jobs to the town through the Jobs 4 Dewsbury campaign; a move which he says would breathe new life into the heart of the town.
Shahid said: "There is no doubt that conditions for traders in Dewsbury are uncertain and many are nervous. My job is to raise their concerns with the council and others. Local shopkeepers and the public have had their expectations raised time and time again with headline grabbing announcements but no real action on the ground - the town centre is in the grip of an economic crisis and we need action not words. Kirklees council must deliver a fiscal package which has the confidence of shopkeepers and shoppers alike and unless they treat the situation as an emergency Dewsbury may never recover. I will fight tooth and nail on behalf of local people to ensure we get the change we so desperately need."