The Sun's 'ill-thought out attack' on Barrow branded 'disgusting'

The Barrow MP and the town's business improvement district are united in their anger at an article published by The Sun, part of its Broke Britain series.

The national newspaper claims the dying high street and lack of opportunity is driving young people out of the area.

READ MORE: The Sun brands Barrow 'drug-plagued' town

Detective Superintendent Dean Holden, Cumbria’s head of crime, also told The Sun that it's like 'whack-a-mole' trying to rid the area of county lines operations.

Simon Fell, MP for Barrow and Furness, and Paul Hodgson, chairman of Barrow BID, have emphatically defended the town against The Sun’s ‘shameful’ claims.

Mr Fell said: “This is a disgusting article that does nothing but run down a proud town and community to sell a few more copies. The Sun should be ashamed of itself. Yes, we should be clear-eyed about the challenges we face, but to ignore all the good that is going on across Furness, and the millions of pounds of support and investment that is coming down the line for Barrow, is just wrong.

“I’ve been fortunate to live in many places over my life but the community here is second to none. We saw that in the pandemic and we’ve seen it since – Furness folk look out for one another. Yes, there are challenges, but there are a wealth of people working to make the community better too – far many to list here.

“The article goes on at length about the state of the high street in Barrow. That’s something we’re all concerned about. High streets are the centre of a community and if they fail, the community loses something significant.

Barrow MP Simon Fell (Image: Newsquest)

“But it also fails to mention the £25million Town Deal which the Government has awarded Barrow, or the £16million Levelling Up fund which we have been awarded either. Far from being run down, from now we can see the start of a range of projects being delivered that will make a tangible difference to our community, from bringing a university campus to Barrow, to renewing the market, bringing in new housing, and creating new community hubs.

“The sentence that really sums the idiocy of this article is when it described Barrow as ‘once a thriving shipbuilding town.’ I was fortunate to be present as the Defence Secretary signed off the next £2billion pounds in spending that will provide a generation of work in the shipyard, with more people being hired there each year. We have a lower rate of unemployment than most of the North West and than the UK as a whole – that is thanks to the backbone of defence, energy and supply chain businesses that offer fantastic apprenticeships and guarantee years of dependable solid work.

READ MORE: £2bn investment is 'welcome boost' for Barrow - Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey

“And all that is before you consider amazing organisations like DropZone, who work hand-in-glove with the town’s youth, The Well, who are partnered with Cumbria Police and successfully closing county line drugs gangs down, or the people up and down Furness who I met during my summer surgery tour last week who tirelessly support in the background, offering time, experience and passion.

Well Fed Community Grocers in Barrow

“There is always more that we can do, and we need to remember that, but this was an ill-thought out attack without a care for the community it was having a go at.

“Perhaps rather than running down communities like ours, The Sun should rather spend a bit of time in them a learn more about what makes them great already, and what is coming? But I suspect that’s a bit too much hard work.”

Paul Hodgson, chairman of Barrow BID, has spotlighted the long list of positive aspects which Barrow should be proud of.

He said: “Like most towns and cities across the country, Barrow has been hit hard by the impacts of Covid and now more recently the significant increase in the cost of living. That does not mean there is no hope for our town centre however, with recent events such as the Barrow Festival of Transport last month showing that there is an appetite from both locals, and from those further afield to visit our town and enjoy what we have to offer.

“Where many of our national chain stores have failed, there are many other smaller independent businesses which have opened up or diversified their offering to fill that gap in the market. 

Barrow

“There is also millions of pounds worth of investment coming into the town through the various capital programmes such as the Towns Deal and Levelling Up Fund which are looking to transform the town.

“You can see the initial stages of some of these projects, such as the Welcome Back Fund at the bottom end of Dalton Road, where through a partnership with Barrow Borough Council, Barrow BID have delivered public realm improvements including outdoor seating and dining areas designed to change the look of the area and encourage people to spend time in our town centre.

“How people use town centres is definitely changing, but by all the various organisations, businesses and local people working together, we will have a town centre we can all be proud of and the people will want to visit."