Tameside must be 'more ambitious' says Reynolds

Jonathan Reynolds has backed Tameside’s towns to thrive under the Government’s upcoming plans.

Speaking at the Hyde Christmas Market on Saturday (December 14), the Stalybridge and Hyde MP said: “Town centres have changed. People buy online these days, there are supermarkets, and we understand that.  

“But they’re still really important for this borough and the local identity for these towns 50 years after Tameside was created. 

“The future for each town is going to be a little bit different. Shopping, yes, a bit more leisure and more housing as well. All of the towns need that sort of plan and some of the things we’ve got coming down the pipeline are really exciting.” 

After the success of the Christmas Market, which brought record takings for some traders, there is a clamour to bring a large-scale market back to Hyde at least once per month. 

“I know people want to see it happen, but getting the kind of local activity like this is brilliant. It’s got to go faster, we’ve got to be more ambitious as well,” the Business Secretary said. 

“We’ve got the accelerator money that helps put on activities like this, the bypass on the M67 being completed is going to help bring money into town centres. The future, particularly for Hyde town centre, could be really exciting.” 

There is also the promise of a new High Street Rental Auctions scheme, which ministers hope will force landlords sitting on empty shops and units to put them up for rent. 

However, there is still the spectre of decay in Hyde, with the town centre’s Post Office earmarked for closure, and local Conservative councillors setting up a Save Hyde Post Office campaign.