New PM Andy’s surprise visit wows Erewash town

Credit: Cllr James Dawson

Newly installed Prime Minster Andy Burnham stunned Erewash townsfolk as he launched a “listening” tour of the UK – and made Ilkeston his surprise first stop.

Early morning shoppers did a double take as the new PM and Angela Rayner – his Housing Secretary – strolled through the Albion Centre and headed up Bath Street.

A mum of two who had a chat with him said: “I couldn’t believe I got to shake the Prime Minister’s hand.”

Crowds gathered outside The Hub coffee shop in the old Co-op building, where Mr Burnham faced a blizzard of TV interviews as he spent the entire morning in the town.

The PM said he was on a mission to see how town centres can be revived – after claiming they had been “hollowed out” by decades of decline.

Borough council leader James Dawson told how the authority has already been making progress thanks to its £6.5million Erewash Investment Fund. It is fuelling grants so traders can get new shopfronts and signage – and has allowed the council to make its car parks free to use on Saturdays.

James said: “The new Prime Minister’s unannounced visit to Ilkeston came hot on the heels of him unveiling new powers for councils to stem the boom in betting shops and vape stores, helping to improve high streets by backing proper local businesses.”

Mr Burnham became the first leader of the country to set foot in the centre of one of Erewash’s towns since Gordon Brown almost two decades ago. The PM said just hours before his visit that “for many people, the high streets they grew up with have become unrecognisable.”

He declared: “The rise of vape shops, betting shops and rogue operators have replaced the shops, services and community spaces that people are crying out for”.

The PM added: “That’s not on. I said we would improve Britain’s high streets, and that’s exactly what we are starting to do. We’re putting communities back in control and giving local people a real say over what opens on their high street.”