Linsey Farnsworth

There are few occasions in this place when Members universally agree, but recognising the importance of town centres to our communities is one such occasion. That is why I am pleased to bring forward this debate, and why I am glad that the Government are prioritising high street regeneration. The sad truth is that successive Governments have overseen the managed decline of high streets in former industrial and mining towns such as mine. My constituents are fed up with it, and so am I. I recently conducted a high-streets survey in my three towns of Alfreton, Heanor and Ripley. The results echoed what I hear time and again on the doorstep: residents are frustrated by high streets they describe as “run down”, “untidy”, “drab” and “unloved”. Many respondents felt that there were too many gambling shops, barbers and vape shops, and not enough of the businesses that help to create vibrant town centres, such as clothes shops, restaurants, chemists, greengrocers, children’s activity centres, farm shops and, in particular, independent local businesses. The Minister will be pleased to know that my constituents also proposed solutions to these issues: stronger measures to allow them to take over empty or derelict buildings; measures that equip small businesses to compete on a level playing field against big multinationals; reductions in business rates; crackdowns on unlawful business; measures to encourage variety and competition; increased pedestrianised areas; requirements for shopfronts to be cleaned up, repainted and repaired; and of course the famous one—free parking in the town centres. From my side, I am partnering with local business leaders to set up an Alfreton town centre taskforce, and I am working with Ripley Trader’s Association and Heanor Vision to discuss how we can address those concerns and implement some of my constituents’ ideas. I would be grateful if the Minister could address those ideas in his remarks and outline the very welcome steps that I know he is taking to tackle some of these persistent issues. The Government’s commitment to giving communities the powers and resources that they need to drive this change forward is welcome. It builds on the excellent work of my town and parish councils, including the beautiful flower displays that bring pride and colour to our high streets in Amber Valley, but civic pride alone cannot undo years of neglect. Successive Governments have overlooked former industrial towns and left the east midlands facing an estimated £11.4 billion investment gap. Amber Valley needs meaningful investment to modernise our high streets and ensure that they are not just more attractive, but sustainable for the future. Last night, my youngest son and I went to the cinema to see “The Uprising”, a film that I would highly recommend. In Amber Valley, the real uprising took place in 1817, when men left Pentrich village in what became the last armed uprising in England, driven by a feeling of being overlooked and taken for granted. Nearly a century later, fed-up miners at Alfreton colliery led the national coal strike of 1912, helping to secure the first minimum wage for coalminers. Those defining moments are still commemorated on information boards and in our town centres at Ripley’s fish and chip shop and Alfreton’s Moot Bar. Why, Madam Deputy Speaker, do I recount those events this evening? Because the people of Amber Valley still feel that our communities are overlooked—not for lack of ambition, effort or ideas, but because investment has too often gone elsewhere. The determination to turn things around is clear. Our borough council, town and parish councils, businesses and community groups have devised projects that can create jobs, strengthen our town centres and grow the local economy. I will champion them every step of the way, but they need investment to become a reality. Let me turn to some of them now. First, as the Minister will be well aware, I have been pressing for Government funding to support the borough in delivering an ambitious regeneration of Alfreton town centre. The vision is of a revamped pedestrianised area around Institute Lane, outside seating in Severn Square, and a lively daytime and night-time offering. The potential of this was brought home to me recently, when I was lucky enough to be invited to Alfreton Town football club to meet some of the brilliant volunteers who keep the club running. If my club, Everton, is the “people’s club”, then Alfreton Town FC should certainly be known as the community’s club. The atmosphere, players, volunteers, staff and fans were phenomenal, and I came away in awe of them and their sense of togetherness. As I travelled home, I reflected on how a revitalised town centre could become an integral part of the matchday experience: people could have breakfast at the Naughty But Nice café before kick-off, celebrate a victory in Severn Square, or warm up over a coffee with Dominique at the Hive Lounge after a cold winter’s match. I hope the Minister will outline the support and investment that the Government can provide to bring that project to life. It would make a tangible difference to my constituents, and would show that Amber Valley’s future is worth investing in. A second project I am supporting is the regeneration of the Premier Electric theatre in Somercotes. Built in 1912, it has served as a theatre, cinema and bingo hall, but after many years, it stands empty and decaying. However, its potential remains enormous. With the right support, it could once again provide a home for local theatre, live music, cinema screenings, and arts activities. It could become a hub for community life and a catalyst for regeneration. Somercotes parish council and Save the Premier community group deserve great credit for developing that vision. However, as a planning application that seeks permission to demolish the building is due to be considered in the coming months, time is short. The immediate priority is securing £21,000 for a feasibility study to assess the building’s future and unlock access to larger funding streams. I say gently to the Minister that if there is £21,000 to be found down the back of the green Benches this evening, it could make all the difference. For Whitehall, it is a modest sum; for Somercotes, it could determine whether a valued part of our community’s heritage is preserved or lost forever. In a similar vein, there is a project in Heanor that I have discussed with the Minister. Amber Valley borough council brought forward an ambitious vision for the regeneration of Heanor town centre, but that vision had to be scaled back when funding from the previous Government fell significantly short of what was required. Rather than abandon the project altogether, the borough adapted, contributed £1 million of council resources, and ensured that regeneration could still proceed. The result is a transformed marketplace, and the beautiful restoration of the historic grammar school building. The overall project, however, remains unfinished. The borough council still owns the adjacent science block, which was originally intended to be transformed into a cinema. Crucially, that cinema would have generated the revenue needed to cover the running costs and long-term maintenance of the grammar. Instead, the science block remains vacant and derelict, standing as an ugly reminder of the gap between what the community expected and what could ultimately be delivered. I know that some people in Heanor are angry, and I understand why. They were presented with a bold vision for their town, including extensive community use of the grammar, but when the funding was reduced and the science block regeneration could not proceed, the income stream that would have sustained the grammar was lost. As a result, difficult decisions had to be made. To secure the future of the building, a substantial proportion of the grammar is now to be occupied by a long-term tenant, whose rental income will safeguard this important heritage asset for generations to come. That is a sensible and responsible solution, but it is not the outcome that residents were initially led to expect, and it means the degree of community usage is more limited than was originally envisaged. I am angry too—not at Amber Valley borough council, which did everything possible to save the project, nor at those who have made difficult but necessary decisions to secure the building’s future. I am angry that a community with ambition, a credible plan and strong local support was forced to accept a diminished version of its vision because the funding required to deliver it was cut by the last Government. I am angry that local people were left with a restored building, but without the fully realised community asset that they expected. I am angry that the council was forced to choose between scrapping part of the vision or risking losing it altogether. However, we now have an opportunity to put that right. Heanor is exactly the kind of place the newly announced derelict buildings fund was created to help. The borough council owns the building; the plans exist; the local support is there; the need is clear. Like my son and I, families have to travel outside of Amber Valley to see films, because there is not a single cinema in the three towns in the constituency. What is required now is the investment to bring the science block back into use, complete the regeneration of the site and finally deliver the full potential that the people of Heanor deserve. I ask the Minister: how can communities access the derelict buildings fund or similar support? And what will he do to ensure that places that have too often been overlooked, like Amber Valley, are prioritised for investment? As the Minister is aware, the recent closure of Denby Pottery, which had operated in my constituency for over 200 years, has caused a significant economic shock, with the loss of 350 jobs in the constituency and the loss of around 250,000 visitors a year to the pottery village. Its closure has been deeply felt by my constituents, and investment in our high streets would go a long way. It would support Amber Valley communities and businesses and help us to rebuild from this social and economic scarring. Now is the time for the Government to step in and show my constituents that Amber Valley matters. I know that the Prime Minister understands areas like mine and wants to put them at the heart of his agenda. With the high street strategy imminent, I therefore hope that Amber Valley will finally receive the long overdue investment that it deserves.