Burnley was featured on BBC1 around 9 am this morning. The guy presenting the piece, one of BBC's politics/economics/budget day team (I need to look up his name) is from Burnley. Of course, it was about what "levelling up" means to people in Burnley. Burnley will feature again on Budget Day on Wednesday.

What ever happened to “northern powerhouse” ?

Christian Fraser?

Or Ben Thompson, both Clarets.

There's no point contributing to this sort of thread as it will get pulled eventually, like the 'Interesting Article on the Town' one yesterday.

minnieclaret wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:24 am

Or Ben Thompson, both Clarets.
3C7D0A34-FA01-468D-BC3E-451DF6A71980.jpeg

Ben Thompson is the guy.

Be great if edit worked, I could update my first post.

You could tell it was a Burnley edited piece as it gave a fair impression of the town,not one image of Burnley Wood etc.Hopefully the contributors on the couch on Wednesday will be people who ACTUALLY live in the town with a broad spectrum of views, last thing it needs is interlopers telling the nation how bad it is. Said it before for Burnley read any town.

Amazing how knowledge changes your perceptions. I've previously never liked Ben Thompson when he pops up on BBC Breakfast but clearly I had this wrong and I now regard him as an absolute top man !

joey13 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:14 am

What ever happened to “northern powerhouse” ?

That's for vote-winning. It's not real life.

It was a positive piece on Burnley with Thompson interviewing The founder of AMS and his take on the coming budget. Some shots in St James street and Nice outdoor shots of Burnley too from the top of Manchester Road.

Stalbansclaret wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 25, 2021 6:43 pm

I've previously never liked Ben Thompson when he pops up on BBC Breakfast

As someone who knows him quite well, might I ask why?
He's the most likeable guy you could ever meet.

timshorts wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 25, 2021 7:14 pm

That's for vote-winning. It's not real life.

Same as “levelling up”. Means absolutely nothing in reality.

I saw that. I didn’t know the guy was originally from Burnley.

nil_desperandum wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 25, 2021 7:18 pm

As someone who knows him quite well, might I ask why?
He's the most likeable guy you could ever meet.

Many apologies...I can only say just one of those totally irrational "I don't like that bloke" things I sometimes get about people on TV. Maybe because he can come across as a little over-earnest . However I accept this is nonsenses and, particularly now I know he isa Claret, that he is a great bloke. Coincidentally he's on right now on BBC Breakfast and seems to have an ongoing prominent role in their Budget coverage.

And I thought this was going to be a thread about transfer deadline day

Stalbansclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 26, 2021 6:41 am

Many apologies...I can only say just one of those totally irrational "I don't like that bloke" things I sometimes get about people on TV. Maybe because he can come across as a little over-earnest . However I accept this is nonsenses and, particularly now I know he isa Claret, that he is a great bloke. Coincidentally he's on right now on BBC Breakfast and seems to have an ongoing prominent role in their Budget coverage.

No problem. He is quite earnest to be fair. Diligent and conscientious, but very likeable.
Re budget: That's because he has been mainly a business reporter over the years on BBC News etc., but he has become much more prominent on "mainstream" BBC over the past few years, inc. quite a lot of BBc Breakfast.
Ex-St Ted's lad, and let's not overlook Christian Frazer as well, who is from Brierfield / Higher Reedley (I think). Definitely local.

Bump.

I don't know details, I heard Burnley was one of the successful towns in bidding for "levelling up" money announced in Rishi Sunak's budget.

I've not seen anything from Ben Thompson and Burnley today. Have I missed it, or will this be on tonight when everyone else in Burnley is watching football?

Now found something about Burnley's levelling up funds:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l ... e-59064229

Budget 2021: Burnley levelling up funding will be transformative - MP

A Burnley Council spokesman said the funding would help create "a thriving canalside campus" around Sandygate Mill and George Street Mill, a new footbridge and passenger lifts at the station and a gateway between the town centre and Burnley's Turf Moor stadium.

Looks like we've a Burnley fan or two somewhere in the Treasury.

UTC

Paul Waine wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 27, 2021 6:17 pm

Now found something about Burnley's levelling up funds:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l ... e-59064229

Budget 2021: Burnley levelling up funding will be transformative - MP

A Burnley Council spokesman said the funding would help create "a thriving canalside campus" around Sandygate Mill and George Street Mill, a new footbridge and passenger lifts at the station and a gateway between the town centre and Burnley's Turf Moor stadium.

Looks like we've a Burnley fan or two somewhere in the Treasury.

UTC

Good old Paul!!

Your next job should be polishing turds!

Exciting times .

fatboy47 wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 27, 2021 6:25 pm

Good old Paul!!

Exciting times .

Thanks.

Paul Waine wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 27, 2021 6:17 pm

Now found something about Burnley's levelling up funds:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l ... e-59064229

Budget 2021: Burnley levelling up funding will be transformative - MP

A Burnley Council spokesman said the funding would help create "a thriving canalside campus" around Sandygate Mill and George Street Mill, a new footbridge and passenger lifts at the station and a gateway between the town centre and Burnley's Turf Moor stadium.

Looks like we've a Burnley fan or two somewhere in the Treasury.

UTC

More likely we’ve secured the funding because our Tory MP has toed the party line, and voted in the Commons as instructed.

Not seen any details but they were filming in Charter Walk this afternoon.

Hoping they didn't catch me stuffing my face with an Oddies Pork pie

TsarBomba wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 27, 2021 6:31 pm

More likely we’ve secured the funding because our Tory MP has toed the party line, and voted in the Commons as instructed.

Would you be happier if the town didn't get the money ?

Id be happy if money was provided on a basis of what areas need it the most and not on the basis of who they voted for or who they might vote for. Also Id like MPs to feel free to vote on what they thing is the right thing for the country and for their constituents and not just need to be told what to do or else risk their town getting less of the pie (sewage vote)

We've seen with the Jenrick and Berry scandal back in 2020 the Tories attitude to filtering money to the place that suits them and not what is best for the country as a whole and our democracy is threatened if funding and money is used in an unethical way to serve the ruling parties needs and not the people (thats everyone not just their voters) they represent.

Im not in this instance saying that Burnley wasnt worthy of the cash but if people just accept a corrupt government cos that corruption benefits them then we end up in a bad place

claretonthecoast1882 wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 28, 2021 9:23 am

Would you be happier if the town didn't get the money ?

It's not a binary choice, but given the choice, I would be happier if any available money was being used to help the poorest in our towns, (rather than taking more from them). Capital projects are ok in their own way, and provide some investment and jobs, but they are superficial and don't address the underlying issues. The forthcoming uplift in the cost of NI, fuel and the weekly shop will not be offset by a few small capital projects.

nil_desperandum wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 28, 2021 11:51 am

It's not a binary choice, but given the choice, I would be happier if any available money was being used to help the poorest in our towns, (rather than taking more from them). Capital projects are ok in their own way, and provide some investment and jobs, but they are superficial and don't address the underlying issues. The forthcoming uplift in the cost of NI, fuel and the weekly shop will not be offset by a few small capital projects.

I have to agree with this. Take the money for the swimming pool in Halifax, for example. There are obvious benefits - an improved leisure facility, attracting people to the town and some jobs but surely £12m could have been used to provide a broader benefit to the area (attracting new businesses, funding start ups, retraining, tacking addiction etc).

I think there's also an argument that this doesn't "level up" as funding one town disadvantages other surrounding towns.

TheFamilyCat wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 28, 2021 12:20 pm

I have to agree with this. Take the money for the swimming pool in Halifax, for example. There are obvious benefits - an improved leisure facility, attracting people to the town and some jobs but surely £12m could have been used to provide a broader benefit to the area (attracting new businesses, funding start ups, retraining, tacking addiction etc).

I think there's also an argument that this doesn't "level up" as funding one town disadvantages other surrounding towns.

Some stuff on levelling up funding on BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59065699

Budget 2021: A zoo, a park and a pool - who got levelling up cash?

a few quotes:

Local authorities, with the support of local MPs, could apply for money for regeneration and transport projects.

Successful bids for the initial £1.4bn pot of money include:

• £19.9m for Twycross Zoo in Bosworth
  £19.5m for Rotherham town centre
  £20m for Bolton College of Medical Science
  £12.2m for Halifax swimming pool
  £20m for Aberdeen City Centre
  £9.3m to upgrade Whitechapel Road in East London.

Mr Sunak specifically referred to the three successful bids in Conservative Stoke-on-Trent seats but also highlighted the successful bids in Ashton under Lyne, Doncaster, South Leicester, Sunderland and West Leeds - which include the seats of Angela Rayner, Ed Miliband, Jonathan Ashworth, Rachel Reeves and Bridget Philipson - all members of Labour's shadow cabinet.

But BBC analysis suggests the following breakdown by party:

• Conservative-only constituencies: £627m
  Labour-only constituencies: £507m
  SNP-only constituencies: £135m
  Other parties/local authority areas with more than one party: £424m

Great to see the chancellor himself in Burnley today at the world famous Burnley Market

quoonbeatz wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 28, 2021 4:50 pm

Great to see the chancellor himself in Burnley today at the world famous Burnley Market

We are all just ragged Northerners to him aren’t we