Nuneaton weighs up levelling up

Behind locked gates, a giant of a once illustrious industry lies dormant in rural Warwickshire.

Daw Mill Colliery near Nuneaton was once one of the UK's biggest producers of coal.

But the pit was shut down in 2013, putting hundreds of miners like Dave Meuse out of work.

"They couldn’t afford to pay the wages," said Mr Meuse, who worked there for 39 years.

"Coal was going out of fashion, and the green movement wanted to get all the coal mines shut to pull along with Europe. So we expected it."

The closure meant nearby Nuneaton lost the backbone of its economy.

Since then, the local authority area that covers the town has become the most deprived in Warwickshire.

After Boris Johnson and the Conservatives swept to power in 2019, former mining communities like Nuneaton were promised a new era of opportunities.

His job as prime minister, Mr Johnson said, meant "answering at last the plea of the forgotten people and the left-behind towns".

He added: "So that with safer streets and better education and fantastic new road and rail infrastructure and full fibre broadband, we level up across Britain."

The government says it has invested more than £15bn in levelling up since 2019.

But earlier this year, a survey commissioned by the BBC suggested 73% of people living in former mining communities felt they had seen little or no progress on levelling up.

Dave Meuse is not convinced it has done much for Nuneaton.

"It’s just not happened," he said. "The levelling up was supposed to level up the areas up north, where they shut all the pits and the steel works, the potteries and the ship yards. Deprived areas, no, nothing."

As the shadow of the past hangs over Nuneaton, the industries of the future are coming down the track.

MIRA Technology Park is home to dozens of cutting-edge automotive businesses.

One of them is Hydrogen Vehicle Systems, which is developing a HGV truck powered by renewable energy.

If the business takes off, it could mean more jobs for the West Midlands.

But the company says its fate is riding on investment from the next government.

"The UK needs to catch up and implement policies that support the purchase of these zero-emission trucks," said Ian Palmer, the firm’s managing director.

"We want to produce and sell in the UK. But unfortunately if those policies aren't in place then we will take the truck to Europe and sell there."

Levelling up as sold was about more than just jobs in high-tech sectors though.

It was also about giving councils money for community projects.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council received more than £50m in levelling-up money from the Conservative government.

In 2023, the council was ranked 38th out of 314 local authorities in England in terms of the levelling-up money it received, according to researchers from the University of West London.

Much of that money has been spent on attempting to revamp the town centre.

But progress has been slow and the council had to scale back its regeneration plans by £40m earlier this year, leaving local shop owners frustrated.

"There’s definitely been investment in the town and it’s a positive thing," said Jo Williams, who runs a gift shop in Nuneaton.

"It’s just the time it takes for buildings to be completed."

Until they are, "businesses here are fighting to stay open", she said.

The Conservatives have talked up levelling-up investment in Nuneaton, where the party has held the constituency since 2010.

But Labour has been campaigning hard here, with the party's leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner both making visits.

Both will be aware of the symbolism of winning Nuneaton, which has historically been considered a bellwether, meaning it usually votes for the winning party in general elections.

The record of levelling up in Nuneaton was awkward for the Conservatives ahead of May’s local elections, which ended in Labour regaining control of the borough council.

Labour favours giving more powers to local leaders rather than levelling up, which isn't mentioned once in its manifesto.

Could it be on the minds of voters this time as they consider whether to double down on levelling up, or move in another direction, with a different party?

The full list of candidates standing in Nuneaton is:

• Jodie Gosling, Labour

• John Homer, Workers Party of Britain

• Rob Howard, Reform UK

• Marcus Jones, Conservative

• Keith Kondakor, Green Party

• Joy Salaja, Liberal Democrats