Prime Minister Andy Burnham put Ilkeston in the national spotlight on Tuesday as he chose the town as the first stop of his new UK “listening” tour.
Mr Burnham arrived in Ilkeston with Communities and Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner, with the pair walking up Bath Street through the town centre.
During the walk, they stopped to speak with police officers before continuing on to The Hub Coffee Shop.
There, they were joined by East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, Erewash MP Adam Thompson and local representatives.
Ilkeston chosen for first stop
The visit marked the launch of Mr Burnham’s UK-wide listening tour, with Ilkeston chosen as its first destination. The Prime Minister said he wanted to hear directly from communities and see for himself the challenges facing town centres.
His visit also coincided with the Government setting out new measures aimed at giving local communities greater control over their high streets.
New measures for high streets
The proposals include tighter planning controls on vape shops and adult gaming centres, alongside changes intended to give councils more influence over gambling premises.
Under the plans, new vape shops would require planning permission, while the definition of a vape shop would be tightened to prevent businesses avoiding the rules by presenting themselves as general retailers.
Adult gaming centres would also require planning permission under the proposed changes.
The Government also plans to change existing gambling rules which can restrict the circumstances in which councils are able to refuse applications for new betting shops and adult gaming centres.
Ministers say the changes are designed to give communities more say over the mix of businesses operating in their town centres.
Further measures are also planned to strengthen powers available to deal with premises associated with persistent crime and anti-social behaviour.
Bath Street in the spotlight
During their walk through Ilkeston, Mr Burnham and Ms Rayner saw the town centre first-hand and spoke with police officers on Bath Street.
The visit also gave local representatives the opportunity to discuss Ilkeston and the wider challenges facing high streets.
At The Hub Coffee Shop, the Prime Minister and Ms Rayner met East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, Erewash MP Adam Thompson and a number of local representatives.
Mr Thompson also highlighted work already taking place in Ilkeston, including shop sign grants and clean-up orders.
The visit attracted plenty of attention in the town centre, with shoppers stopping to watch as the Prime Minister and Ms Rayner made their way along Bath Street.
National media crews were also in Ilkeston to cover the visit and the Government’s high-street announcement.
For Ilkeston, the day brought considerable national attention, with the town not only hosting the Prime Minister and senior Government figures, but also becoming the starting point for his UK listening tour.
Ilkeston has welcomed a number of serving Prime Ministers over the years, including Gordon Brown and David Cameron. Before Tuesday, the most recent was Rishi Sunak, who visited the town in May 2024 on the day he launched the General Election campaign.
2 Comments
Um! would have been interesting, had the public been allowed to put their concerns and questions to him directly, and in real time, but then, it was like watching an episode of Yes Minister, and notably if there had been an orchestra nearby, Orchestration would have been a good word to describe the deliberate gap placed between Burnham and the Ilkeston public, but then you could say there was the BBC asking their predefined and prescript’s question of course, however as said orchestration comes to mind. so to avoid the masses and there searching and undefined question’s
What about the poor state of the market, the council is responsible for the decline.