History, heritage and high streets—these things mean so much to the people of Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke.
Tears were flowing in the Mother Town this weekend after a fire ripped through the Leopard in Burslem.
In Tunstall we have empty high street shops, which are in a desperate state of neglect, with landlords all too happy to let them sit empty and uncared for.
I asked the Minister how the levelling-up White Paper can empower local councils and people to hold absent or rogue owners accountable for damaging the hearts of our community. You can see my full question and reply here.
I also raised this issue in Business Questions, where I asked for time to debate how more can be done to help protect heritage assets and continue to seek support, from the Government, for my change to the law that would see the fines increase on rogue and absent landlords who allow our history and heritage to be destroyed.
My Proper Maintenance of Land Bill law change that I have put forward can be found here: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3012
I also thanked Staffordshire Fire and Rescue for their bravery in tackling the blaze, and the wider Stoke-on-Trent community for the unrivalled kindness from individuals like Izzie, who brought food and drink to thank the firefighters for their hard work.
On Thursday afternoon, I was pleased to hear Cllr Abi Brown, Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council announce the city’s first Heritage Congress.
The aim of the congress will be simple. It will bring together a number of key heritage stakeholders in the city, such as the Potteries Heritage Society, Reform at Middleport Pottery and the Heritage Network, to name a few, with national stakeholders such as Historic England, with private developers and heritage property owners.
The Congress will be able to discuss and examine the formation of a Stoke-on-Trent Conservation Trust.
For guidance, the Congress will be able to look at the successful Birmingham Conservation Trust that was established in the late 70s. This Trust was responsible for the dramatic transformation of the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham into the heritage-led economic powerhouse that it is today.
A charitable Trust will be able to access funds and support that the local council, simply cannot do when it comes to heritage buildings in private ownership.
You can see my full contribution at Business Questions here.