0:01
That is just like Blackburn, really. Like proper northern town mill. Northern towns like Blackburn are a graveyard for factories like these
0:12
When the industry left, so did the jobs and a sense of identity. And for decades, the Labour Party has dominated local politics here
0:20
promising to reverse this decline. But now, that promise is starting to wear thin
0:25
Can I ask how you think the Labour-run council are running this out at the minute? I can't answer that
0:31
Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is the first time that Labour have let us down
0:36
I've been a Labour daughter all my life, but no, not this time
0:40
Do you have an opinion on Keir Starmer and what he's been doing? I don't really appreciate what he's been doing recently with our country
0:47
You know what I mean? I don't want to sound a bit weird. But he's letting so many bad people into our towns and stuff
0:53
and causing scenes, and it's not really something that's needed in Blackburn
0:58
the way it already is. In this sort of part of the world, a lot of these high streets will sort of look the same
1:03
will sort of feel the same. Like I say, the sort of the Turkish barbers
1:07
we just passed up there, the sort of shutter down takeaways, one, two, three, four, five, six
1:15
seven takeaways on this one street alone. I mean, this is sort of the state of the high street
1:22
I think, in a lot of the sort of British northern towns in particular of this part of the world at the minute, really
1:27
Labour's ties to Blackburn run deep. Former Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw was the MP here
1:33
and the town pays tribute to Barbara Castle, one of the party's most influential post-war MPs
1:39
But that history doesn't answer the question facing voters now. How are Labour dealing with the cost of living crisis
1:46
So that challenge has got to be addressed, and no, the government doesn't seem to address it particularly well
1:50
It seems to have so many priorities, the dangers it didn't actually address any of them
1:55
So the election here I suspect is going to be played out with a sense of frustration I have six pensions plus my old age pension and they taxing the whole lot I paid and worked hard all my life and paid me taxes and now they draining me
2:10
Blackburn is one of the most deprived areas in the UK, with 43% of children living in deprivation
2:18
And with so many families unable to afford just the essentials, locals like Liz Crook have stepped up to provide them
2:25
We call that the middle mess so don't film that bit. So back in 2015, myself and some friends identified there were a lot of people in the community
2:35
asking for help with bedding, with children's clothes, things like that. So we sat together and we came up with a community shop idea and that's when Women's Rescue was born really
2:46
Well should we take a little wander through and have a look at some of the things we've got through here? How much are people struggling in Blackburn at the minute
2:51
They are really struggling, they are really really struggling. And I think there's been lots of money coming from central government to support families in crisis
3:02
And they have no money, but it's not enough. This is the furniture side
3:07
We also do a clothing side, which is across the road. The beauty about Rummage Rescue is that we get referrals, and with the referral, they get it free
3:16
So we work in partnership with the council. So the council got some government funding to help people in crisis
3:22
and the council then derives some of them funds back to us to help us to sustain and we give people
3:30
dignity and choice because when you've nothing you just want you just want somebody to be kind
3:35
to you yeah and help you and what we do is invite them in and they can choose what they want this is
3:40
one of our hubs this is Jamie girls can I ask you what your thoughts are on rummage rescues
3:47
Voluntarily vital, very, very important because cost of living is massive at the moment, isn't it
3:52
The government are out there and they're saying they're doing this, they're doing that, but actually I invite them to come round and walk round here and come and meet some of the people in Blackburn and Lancashire you know what I mean because it hard Do you think maybe they don quite or haven fully grasped
4:06
the extent of which people are struggling in places like Blackburn? Yeah, I don't think they understand at all
4:12
And I'd welcome them to come down, you know, and talk to some of the people we come in. We have a thing where we give free stuff outside for free
4:18
and people queue for it. And it's stuff what, you know, you would think
4:23
or nobody wants that, but people queue up for it. In Blackburn, all textile and engineering works depend upon coal
4:36
Blackburn's decline can be owed to its lost industry and the jobs that went with it
4:41
Once a pioneer of the industrial revolution, it's now an outlier in the UK for unemployment
4:47
But there are still pockets of industry trying to reverse this downturn
4:51
This is a sort of selection of the kind of things that we make in here. We make beautiful wool peacoats
4:56
So this is made using a fabric that's made in Leeds by a brilliant company called Hainsworth
5:00
Patrick Grant owns Cookson & Clegg, a textile manufacturer that is home to his clothing brand, Community Clothing
5:07
Patrick thinks factories like this can bring back a sense of pride to Blackburn and Jobs along with it as well
5:13
40 years ago, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones played here. When you rip the heart out of places like Blackburn, you've got to put something back in
5:21
If we made clothes here, they'd create those jobs that would prop up the economy in places like Blackburn
5:26
And not just clothes, you know, the chairs we sit on, the cups we drink from, all the stuff
5:30
That is what our business is all about. If you shop with us, we tell you that 95% of the money comes back into the UK economy
5:38
and 60% of it goes in wages for guys like this. A little lockdown here then
5:43
But without a bold government to empower local manufacturers, Patrick feels there is a missed opportunity
5:48
You know they put 100 million quid into a battery factory in Blythe which went kaput Like if they put 100 million quid into the manufacture of things we know how to make and already use that money would have created a huge amount of economic value which we would be feeling from now for many many years to come You buy from people in this factory not only are all of the wages spent locally on other
6:12
local companies, but the taxes and local taxes all flow back into this economy
6:16
You buy all of your supplies from China, pretty much all of your money is going out of the country
6:21
And it's just a mindset change in government. Like, they don't want to spend more
6:25
But if they spent more, all of that money would come back into our economy
6:29
And we've got to start thinking that way. Blackburn clearly has potential, but that doesn't mean Labour can solve the town's employment problem overnight
6:36
And even then, where future jobs will come from is unclear at best
6:41
What kind of jobs and work can you get around here? At the moment, you can work in small shops
6:46
such as Subway's, Gregg's and stuff like that, but you can't do any other
6:51
You can only work in food shops. but you can get contracted ones. But you can't work as permanent and stuff
6:57
They won't give you proper good jobs, not good hours and stuff, you know? I can't answer my own question, but the challenge is
7:03
is it best to wean people off welfare when welfare pays more
7:08
And particularly in low-wage economy areas, welfare can pay more than a higher wage
7:13
or than a working wage. It's the local council elections in a couple of weeks' time
7:17
Do you have an opinion on a political party that you like? They're all fake, to be honest
7:21
They all chat s*** to be honest. They would just say we'll do this, we'll do that
7:26
but they don't do it after they win their elections. So it's obviously just for them to get the votes and to win
7:34
It's money laundering or something I heard, I don't know. Before leaving Blackburn I knew just the place to reflect
7:39
on what I'd seen in the town. I just wanted to come back and get one last look at this place before we go
7:44
I mean it is incredible, it's massive and I think it actually really quite well represents
7:49
the size and the scale of the challenge that Labour have got to win back people in places like
7:54
Blackburn where they promise change, real change that we would start to feel but are Labour going
7:59
to regret the fact that we're not feeling that change soon enough
