Mark Eastwood MP:

Mark Eastwood MP writes: I’ve been proud to be the first Member of Parliament who is actually from Dewsbury, and it’s my sincere hope that I will be able to leave a legacy that people here will continue to benefit from for years to come.

When visitors come to our town centre they are currently met with empty shops and a market that – while busy with stalls and businesses – looks shabby and in need of a facelift.

I want to see Dewsbury bustling again, so I’ve worked with businesses, volunteers, the local authority and community leaders as part of the Dewsbury Town Board, and we all agree that our town can be a thriving hub with the right investment.

The £24.8 million which we’ve secured through the government’s Towns Fund is vital to make sure that Dewsbury puts its best foot forward, and the recent addition of the £4.41 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore the historic arcade goes even further to bringing back the businesses and shoppers that Dewsbury sorely needs.

But even with multi-million pound investments, innovative ideas for the high street and renovation projects, we know that there are other factors keeping people away.

Crime and antisocial behaviour affects business owners daily, and people I speak to when I’m out and about tell me that it’s a major concern and a factor in their choice of where to shop or socialise.

Earlier this year we met our manifesto pledge of recruiting 20,000 new police officers, and those recruited for our local area will be based at the brand new police headquarters currently under construction on Halifax Road.

Officers will be able to quickly respond to people needing help, and so that we can ensure that the resources we need are available.

I’ve been working with Dewsbury Chamber of Trade and West Yorkshire Police’s Partnership Intelligence Programme.

This is a tried and tested scheme that gives the business community a clear line of communication with police to let them know about antisocial behaviour, suspicious activity and other information that can help build up a picture of the needs of the community, which will help keep the town safer.

I’m determined to secure as much help for Dewsbury as possible in my remaining time as your Member of Parliament, like funding for sports activities to help keep young people away from antisocial behaviour.

My team and I continue to be available to help you on any matter, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch by email or phone – [email protected] or 01924 939 007.

Thanks to everyone who came along to my stand at Mirfield Show and guessed the name of our House of Commons bear in aid of the Howland Centre!

We’ll be announcing the winner soon on my website – go to www.markeastwood.org.uk to find out who is the lucky winner.