It was just two weeks ago that we passed four years since the 2019 General Election, and what a four years it has been.
None of us could have predicted some of the major global events that have hit us, from a pandemic to war in Europe, but despite these headwinds we have made huge strides locally. And that’s been the case throughout 2023 just as it has been previous years too.
If there is one word that sums up what 2023 has seen it’s delivery. Because so much has been delivered this year, and there is so much more still to come.
Take the Padiham flood defence scheme, which has been spoken about for years and years but never got off the ground. But now it is. The scheme, which totals around £18 million, is now well into construction with the wall behind the town hall completed, the flood wall behind Bendwood Close well on the way, and the planning application for the next stage submitted for approval in early-2024.
Continuing in Padiham, on the theme of more still to do, I’ve also been meeting with Sustrans and The Coal Authority to find a solution to the Greenway Bridge. Whilst we are a step closer to understanding the issues that brought about its closure, it will likely take a little while longer to find a solution to make it safe. But it’s something I continue to work on with local councillors like Jamie McGowan.
On education we’ve seen more schools take part in my school tour, where I go in and speak about Parliament and democracy. And both UCLAN and Burnley College are seeing major expansion. At the college there’s no shortage of construction taking place, with more than £16 million of expansion having happened since 2019, and UCLAN is preparing to take over Newtown Mill this coming year after our Levelling Up Fund bid has regenerated the site.
Pioneer Place, a long talked about scheme, has gone from sketches on a page to being open and thriving, bringing not just a leisure offering to our town centre, but a Nando’s too.
But that’s not it. Investment at Burnley General; potholes and roads repaired and upgraded across the borough (sometimes slightly annoying but worth it long-term); £2 bus fares extended; a bridge at Manchester Road station due to start construction soon; and much more.
So, with that, and much more that could be highlighted, I’ll end by wishing everyone across Burnley and Padiham a very happy new year!
