Earlier this week I was speaking to a group of students from a university in the USA, about my passion for education and the role it plays in levelling up opportunity. And in explaining my role, I also told them a bit about Burnley. Most of them had, I’m pleased to say, heard of our part of the world thanks to Burnley FC, but they hadn’t appreciated the diversity of our borough.
We’re an area made up of picturesque villages and rolling green fields; amazing parks; Padiham with its independent shops and proud heritage; and a town centre in Burnley which is bucking the trend and growing – with a new cinema, restaurants, bars and more.
But we all know that there are some things that we want to change too. Issues that we want sorting. Facilities we think are missing. And that’s what this column is about.
Last year the Prime Minister came to Burnley to announce that we would be given additional support to level up, with £20 million of long-term investment. This support comes on top of Levelling Up Fund and other schemes and is designed to drive change and address the issues that are holding us back.
But the way the money can be spent is different too, with a key part of this scheme being full community engagement and input. And I couldn’t be happier with that.
The old saying goes that two minds are better than one. Well in this case we’ve got all the minds of the borough. Because wherever you live in our area, Burnley town centre matters to us all, and we all want to see it grow and succeed.
So, what next?
First up was forming a new Burnley Town Board which is bringing together partners who can drive change and ensure we’re reaching out to as many people as possible.
Over the coming months me and other Board members will be meeting to discuss all the responses we get from the public consultation, to pull together an investment plan for the coming years. This will cover what residents and businesses want to see to increase safety, regenerate the town centre, and improve transport and connectivity.
And here’s where we need your help! The more people who respond to that public consultation, the more chance there is that we can do something truly transformational for our area. To complete the online survey go to burnleylongtermplan.co.uk/, and click the button marked “Have your say”. There you can fill in a survey asking for your views on what you think of Burnley right now, and what you think needs to change. This is our collective chance to do something amazing, and ensure Burnley is the success we want it to be for future generations.
