Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes’ Labour MP Melanie Onn has discussed the prevalence of empty shops in town in Parliament.
She also expressed dislike of the abundance of vape shops. Regeneration, support for youth services and the steel industry have been discussed by Grimsby’s MPs this month in Parliament.
This includes a speech by Ms Onn on the state of high streets, and empty shops locally. Read on below for a summary of some of the local topics raised by Grimsby’s MPs.
Empty shops and regeneration
Ms Onn said there were “loads of empty shops” in Grimsby and Cleethorpes at a towns and cities regeneration debate part-chaired by Brigg and Immingham’s Conservative MP Martin Vickers. “Companies, particularly banks, are leaving big gaps that lie empty for extended periods of time,” she said. She also mentioned businesses are “really concerned” about Levelling Up Fund-supported plans to mostly pedestrianise Cleethorpes Market Place.
On empty shops, she expressed dislike for certain shops filling so many spots. “When they are filled – this is an issue that I have raised before – they are filled with vape shops and barbers and there is a real lack of a range of different options.”
Ms Onn claimed there was no national strategy for a decade-and-a-half on town centres. It had fallen to local areas to present plans to government and “gradually eke out funds, at sporadic intervals, to try to fulfil their local vision”. In this context, she praised the 2025 Group in Grimsby.
“We have some brilliant businesses in our town centres and on our high streets,” she said, before sharing her thoughts on Grimsby’s best chippy. “I will say that Buzz Café has the best chips in the world.”
(Image: NELC)
Youth Services
Youth services was a topic both MPs spoke on. The Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes’ MP called Haven Centre in Osborne Street, Grimsby, “a shining example of youth services”.
Since it opened, anti-social behaviour reported incidents in the town centre had decreased by 35 per cent in the last year, she said. Secretary of State Lisa Nandy stated, “It is a source of national shame that youth funding decreased by 73 per cent under the last Government.”
Mr Vickers agreed with criticism of the last Government for “reducing the resources made available to the youth sector”. But he sought assurance the new Government “will actually increase those resources”.
“We are determined to grip this issue,” Ms Nandy replied. She added: “We will develop and co-produce a strategy for a generation of young people, working alongside them and with the incredible youth workers at The Haven, the OnSide youth zones and many other places, including in Chorley, to support a generation to succeed.”
(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Steelworks uncertainty
Via Scartho Ward, Mr Vickers represents Grimsby, but his constituency is largely North Lincolnshire. Uncertainty over thousands of jobs at British Steel‘s Scunthorpe steelworks continues. The Brigg and Immingham MP spoke extensively in a steel industry debate secured by Reform MP Richard Tice.
Mr Vickers asked, “Will the Minister level with workers at the Scunthorpe site and set out exactly what this Government’s intentions are?”, and whether it wanted a domestic steel industry. Maintaining one “will always demand support from the public purse. Without a steel industry, we are in effect admitting that we no longer aspire to be a major manufacturing nation and accepting that we do not value the defence industry.”
He concluded: “It is hard to exaggerate how crucial this is to Scunthorpe, to northern Lincolnshire and to the UK as a whole. We must bring this situation to a conclusion speedily to avoid the anxiety that workers are currently experiencing.”
Industry Minister Sarah Jones pledged a government steel strategy, “developed and delivered in partnership with the steel sector and the trade unions”. For commercial confidentiality reasons, she could not explain discussions with British Steel’s owners, Jingye Group. Conversations were happening all the time and “we are working unbelievably hard to get a solution for Scunthorpe,” she said.
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Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
