Creating the means for post-industrial towns like Leigh and Atherton to connect to growth opportunities is vital for these towns to thrive.
As chair of the Labour MPs group on local growth funding, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with the Industrial Communities Alliance and colleagues from across England, Scotland, and Wales. Many of these MPs represent areas that have been overlooked for far too long.
We are united in our commitment to securing the investment towns like Leigh and Atherton desperately need. These communities, like many others across the UK, have been neglected by previous Conservative governments, which prioritised certain regions over others.
Consequently, the UK is one of the most unequal economies in the developed world. While London and parts of the South continue to prosper, much of the rest of the country remains stagnant, grappling with poverty, unemployment, and inequality. For years, people have been promised change, but for too many, that change has been slow in coming, if at all.
Our communities deserve better. The Labour MPs group on local growth funding is determined to ensure that investment levels are maintained or increased. We support a shift in how local growth funding is allocated, moving away from competitive bidding to a needs-based approach.
Our high streets are a perfect example. Too many towns suffer from vacant, decaying buildings owned by absentee landlords, blighting our communities. It’s heart-wrenching to see businesses struggling when there’s so much untapped potential in these abandoned spaces.
Work is already underway to identify these vacant properties and bring them back into use, ensuring they serve the community rather than standing as symbols of neglect.
In towns like Leigh, Atherton, Tyldesley, Lowton, and Golborne, I’ve met countless businesses and Community Interest Companies (CICs) eager to regenerate their local areas. These local entrepreneurs and community leaders are at the forefront of my mind when I think about revitalising our high streets and creating sustainable economic growth.
The Government’s new ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’ is an important victory for Leigh. I am thrilled that Leigh will benefit from £20 million in government funding. Labour’s new plan means we will see positive change in the next few years and widens the previous funding commitment. Neighbourhood Boards in Leigh can now use this funding to address a range of issues, such as modernising social housing, community-led housing, skills support, community cohesion, and childcare. It’s a chance to create a lasting legacy of growth and opportunity.
However, this is just the beginning. Labour believes in empowering local communities—not imposing top-down, cookie-cutter solutions that fail to meet the specific needs of the people living there.
Ahead of the Spring Statement and Spending review, the Labour MPs group on local growth recently presented our proposals in an ‘Ambition Statement’ to Ministers, outlining our main asks to Government. Among the key points is our call for a funding formula that reflects the true needs of our communities. The existing system fails to meet real needs on the ground. Greater devolution of power to local leaders is welcome, allowing them to make decisions that directly impact all communities.
I was honoured to welcome the Minister for Local Growth, Alex Norris MP, to our most recent meeting, on 11th March, where we discussed our ‘Ambition Statement’ and the Government’s plans for communities like Leigh and Atherton. The meeting was an invaluable opportunity for MPs representing post-industrial towns to raise important issues in their constituencies that are barriers to growth.
The following week, I held an important Westminster Hall Debate in Parliament on ‘Improving transport connectivity in the North West.’ This debate aligns with the Labour Local Growth Group’s plea to nurture talent in our towns as well as improve connectivity from these towns to other areas of growth. I was honoured to be joined by several MPs from across the House, highlighting that this is an issue shared and understood by so many.
I asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Simon Lightwood MP, if he will support the case for a strategic approach to managing connectivity in the Northwest to growth and if the Government will work with MPs and Local Authorities to make the case for Metrolink into Leigh as part of a connected transport system that not just benefits Leigh but also its nearest
neighbours.
Towns like Leigh and Atherton have suffered the painful consequences of austerity, caused by the previous Conservative governments, that stripped away much of the social capital and community infrastructure that once helped people thrive. Once beacons of industrial activity, these towns now lie between the great cities of Manchester and Liverpool. With our main source of industry gone, we are now part of a commuter belt alongside constituencies such as St Helens, Warrington, Wigan, and Salford.
Our road networks, originally designed around mills and factories, now struggle to cope with the ever-increasing volume of traffic. I know the same is true in neighbouring regions of Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire, and Cumbria.
As a result, the narrative often goes that to succeed, you must leave towns like Leigh and Atherton. I am determined to change that all-too familiar story.
I was shocked to learn that Leigh is in the top 1% of the country for Transport Related Social Exclusion. This statistic reveals a troubling reality: poor local public transport, limited active travel infrastructure, and an over-reliance on cars lead to high levels of social isolation, particularly for those who are already vulnerable due to age, disability, or other factors.
To truly connect the North West to growth, we must fully integrate towns like Leigh into Greater Manchester’s transport system—making it as easy as possible for people to travel seamlessly across the region and the rest of the country.
Connecting our communities to job opportunities in other areas as well as supporting local businesses and fostering opportunities can work hand in hand to help drive economic and social prosperity in these often-overlooked towns.
I wholeheartedly support the Government’s housing plans. However, not only do we need more sustainable housing in these towns, but we also need the infrastructure to go with it, so people are not forced to be car dependent.
Ultimately, transport connectivity is one of the most effective tools we have available to fundamentally improve living standards. We need to put communities at the heart of the Government’s mission for growth and create an environment where jobs, skills and training can be accessed as well as fostered, and communities can thrive.
A key part of this is creating a transport system that seamlessly links Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria, unlocking the potential of the towns in between.
This is my vision, and it’s a vision that I will continue to champion, alongside my colleagues, until our towns and communities finally get the investment and support they deserve.
Growth is central to the Government’s plan for change
