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“I don’t know
what I’d do
without the
library and the
centre. They’ve
been
neglected, all
these little
towns.”
Noble chastises him sharply and shakes her head.
“It’s wrong but I don’t blame them for feeling like
that,” she says.
Although the FJF has now been abolished, Barnsley
Council leader Stephen Houghton has called on the
government to bring it back to the local area, saying it
achieved success in giving people real jobs and
“dignity”.
In an area where call centre work is often the only
choice, Noble agrees that an alternative is crucial.
“Many of our children don’t have that confidence
to sit there and do what can seem like an academic
interview,” says Noble, who worked in a call centre
on and off for five years. “It’s a highly pressurised
environment. I hated it. I have worked all my life but
in Ventura there was no union representation – none
at all.”
She says it will take generations to change
Goldthorpe.
“The previous government have invested in schools
like the Dearne Valley Learning Centre and it’s
already started to change the kids. It’s absolutely
wonderful how they seem to be more confident. But
you just can’t change a brass button into a gold one going. She relies on nine volunteers and is running Top: the team at
straight away.” courses on behalf of Dearne Valley College. Goldthorpe Credit Union,
Recovering alcoholic Mandy Lowe is one of those Lowe agrees her organisation represents the future which has provided nearly
determined people Cameron will be relying on to for the area’s 164 voluntary organisations. “I do 12,000 much needed low-
build the big society in places like Goldthorpe. Seven believe in what Cameron is trying to do. I think interest loans since it
years ago, she launched Turnaround, a substance people need to take more responsibility. opened. It was funded by
misuse service. “What we’ve had to do is look at what funding is the Coalfields
“It’s a huge problem here, absolutely huge,” she available. There was not much for substance misuse Regeneration Trust, which
says. “People have lost their aspirations. It just has a but there was lots for health. We now work with is to close at the end of the
snowball effect and drugs are relatively cheaply people post-detox. month. Above: trained
available.” “There is still grant funding out there. But I wish plumber Michael Webster,
When it was set up, Turnaround received £35,000 the people who made these cuts came out and saw who has been unemployed
funding from the Department for Work and Pensions. the good work that we do. It is going to be a long since 2004, is learning
Lowe has since helped 500 people get off drugs and haul.” computing
alcohol and into training or employment. Yorkshire Forward is not the only quango to have
But as funding became scarce, Lowe was forced to provided benefits to the area. Since April 2008, the
change priorities. She opened the Lavender Training Coalfields Regeneration Trust has funded 128 projects
Cafe in January, and has used up all her savings and in Barnsley, awarding a total of almost
remortgaged her house to keep the social enterprise £4 million. It too will close at the end of the month.
Above: part way through One of these projects was the Goldthorpe Credit “When you have people in a politically neutral role
housing regeneration, Union, which received £380,000 over six years. openly criticising the government, it makes you
funding has dried up. Across Barnsley, credit unions have provided 11,712 wonder. And the government have the effrontery to
Right: Mandy Lowe of low-interest loans worth a total of £4.5 million – come round, saying it is less than a ten per cent cut. It
Turnaround saving locals a huge £1.78 million in interest – and just beggars belief. I dread to think what the worst
taking 2,000 new members on last year. case scenario could be for Goldthorpe, because it
“The amount we have lent has gone up by over could be quite horrendous.”
£17,000 since last January – so you can see in Over at Goldthorpe Job Centre, trained plumber
“I dread to 12 months how much things have changed,” says Michael Webster, 48, queues to see an adviser. He has
manager Gail Foster, whose grandfather launched the been unemployed since September 2004.
think what the South Yorkshire Credit Union from his bedroom in That morning, he was presented with an NVQ in
the 1980s. health and safety at the Lavender Training Café.
worst case Research from charity Church Action on Poverty “That’s got to help, hasn’t it?” he says brightly. He’s
scenario could found that Goldthorpe Credit Union members pay an also attending college to upgrade his plumbing
average annual “poverty premium” of £1,170 extra for certificates and is learning computing.
be for basic services, making them extremely financially “But plumbing is a young man’s game,” he says.
vulnerable. People on low incomes often face higher “I have arthritis in my knees from kneeling down all
Goldthorpe, rates of interest on credit from mainstream providers my life. That’s why I’m looking for something else.
because it and loan sharks, and are unable to get the best deals
on energy bills
“The only computing I’ve done is what I’ve learnt
myself. People can ask me what’s this and that, and
could be quite “It makes me angry when they say there are jobs I don’t understand what they are talking about – but
around here – there are, but there are hundreds going I know myself. That’s why I’ve done these computer
horrendous.” for one job,” Foster says. “There are a lot of people courses – to help.”
being taken off incapacity benefits and being put on The future of Goldthorpe Enterprise Centre, where
the new Employment Support Allowance at the Webster looks for jobs and attends courses, is also
moment. But they are often waiting six weeks or more uncertain. “I don’t know what I’d do without the
for their new claim. And what do they do in the library and the centre,” he says. “They’ve been
meantime?” neglected, all these little towns. The market’s not how
“People have According to the research body Local Futures, more it used to be – that’s more or less dead now. We used
than 37 per cent of all jobs in Barnsley come from the to thrive. Now it just seems like everything is
lost their public sector. By 2016 the total number of job losses grinding to a standstill.”
will be around 1,500 in an area which, according to
aspirations. It BBC research, is one of the 20 least resilient local
NEXT WEEK: “If the community centre
has a snowball authorities in the country. And it’s not just the
council which is laying people off. closed down, it would just rip the heart out
effect and “The NHS, which is also a large employer in the of Meir itself.” How Stoke is fighting back
area, is shedding jobs and the college is also
drugs are downsizing,” explains Malcolm Clements, Unison
against the cuts. Are you battling spending
cheaply Barnsley convenor. “The government’s solution to all cuts in your area? Email kevin.gopal@
this is that the private sector is just going to come and bigissuenorth.co.uk
available.” rescue us. I just don’t see that in Barnsley.