THE PERSON guiding Hattersley’s next phase of regeneration should not be political, but someone with the good of the community at heart.
That is the view of the deputy leader of the Labour Party as she visited the area after it was awarded £20 million of funding.
Lucy Powell, whose Manchester Central constituency borders Tameside in several places, saw some of the places that have already been boosted over several years, not least the new Birch Lea Park development.
Now as a board to manage the Pride In Place money that will see a 10-year rollout is being sought, she believes someone not from a political background would be better to front it.
She said: “What makes board chairs good is where they’re not political appointments or not seen as being political appointments in that way.
“That’s where they’re good, when you just have a good community-minded, credible local person.
“But it’s a big job as well.
“They’ve got to understand finances a bit, how to make impact and what would work and what wouldn’t work.
“It’s a lot of money to spend, but that knowledge of the community is the crucial thing.
“We’ve got some great organisations active in it, but people who have a passion for the area, knowledge of what is going on here and can help make it a success – that’s what we’re looking for.
“You hve got an independent chair, which is nominated from the local area. I’ve got one in Newton Heath and Clayton, so you’ve got to be familiar with it.
“If people are interested in the area, if they feel they’ve got something they want to offer and they want to be part of that, they should put themselves forward to be on the board, because these things are only as good as the people who are making the decisions.”
Ms Powell was accompanied around Hattersley by its MP, Jonathan Reynolds, who has seen much of the regeneration of the area, which is ongoing.
As the new business park at Ashworth Lane is being built, this latest funding will add to what has already happened, including demolition of hundreds of outdated properties and refurbishment of 1,475 homes to improve living standards.
Hattersley’s railway station car park has been upgraded and the facility itself is earmarked for development work, while new playgrounds either have been developed or given the go ahead.
And Mr Reynolds himself has seen the impact it has had, saying: “When I first moved to Tameside in the early 2000s, there was a reputation.
“But there are some brilliant people here and some of that was unfair. However, this had all the problems you’re familiar with around the country.
“Manchester City Council owned the houses, but they were part of Tameside – that kind of split control didn’t particularly work successfully.
“A lot of big social housing estates from the 1980s onwards, when the money for repairs and things started to get really squeezed, did go into decline. But I think we can say this has been a huge success, even though not every problem will be solved.
“We’ve had several vacant sites become thriving housing areas. I am particularly proud of Birch Lea – an older person’s provision that is such high quality and, genuinely, there’s just tremendous support and provision for people. Frankly, they love it.”
If plans go through, Hattersley will be impacted by the controversial Godley Green Garden Village scheme, which would see up to 2,150 homes built on its doorstep.
Ms Powell, who is familiar with the area having regularly been through it on journeys to her father’s home city of Sheffield, referred to the ‘rolling hills’ she could see.
And Mr Reynolds admitted that does bring a dose of scepticism about anything being put forward.
He added: “I think across the whole of the UK, people are quite sceptical until they see and feel change.
“The Garden Village is a way to hit our housing needs, which we have to hit as an area, but in a way which guarantees the infrastructure for those houses.
“People have had, frankly, a really tough 15 years in terms of living standards being stagnated. We’ve got to turn that around as a government.
“We know that people want it quicker. They want to see those things happen. I often say we’re building the Link Roads at the end of the M67, which has been ongoing since 1965.
“Tameside and Greater Manchester, certainly this side of Tameside that I represent, has so many good things happening that things are on the up. We’ve got a lot of good things to be proud of.
“I know people want the change and improvements faster. I want that. We all want that, but I’m so proud of this area.
“I’m so proud of the fact that after years where I felt stuff was being taken away, it’s now about what we build.
“If you look at what has happened in Hattersley, there’s so much to be proud of here.
“No-one’s been forced out, the people who have grown up here have now got a whole range of provision which is better for them, different types of housing, better community facilities.
“So you’re getting something which has literally actually been developed with people, alongside people. It’s not been done to them, and this isn’t me as the MP or the government saying what will happen.
“We’re going to give you the money, we’re going to set it up, we’re going to work with local partners, and you can decide how it’s spent, and it’s long-term as well.”
Ms Powell added: “I’ve been to Hattersley a few times before, but I’m hugely impressed with the new development and the vision for it. More importantly, what it’s doing for people’s quality of life.
“The fabric, the infrastructure, has already had all the money spent on. That means that it’s really now thinking about the additional value added that Hattersley can really get from £2 million a year being decided how to spend for local people.
“And it means some certainty as well. If you’ve got a project and you want to run it for three or four years, which often nowadays you can’t get funding like that, you can get that over that time span.”
Hattersley’s funding adds to millions of pounds received for Denton, Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge from the Levelling Up Fund set up by the last Conservative government.
And Mr Reynolds believes the borough is well-placed for success, stating: “We feel the next big great Manchester story is Tameside.
“People have such a strong identity, and I don’t just mean the nine towns. In Hattersley, there’s an identity. Mottram, Hollingworth, Broadbottom, different bits of Hyde – Newton, Godley, Gee Cross. And people are so proud of it.
“They want to see that progress. Yes, there’s disruption., but I think what people want is to know there is money coming into their area again.”