'It used to be a grand town - now there's nowhere to go'

When you speak to people in Dewsbury, they are clear that they believe their town needs help.

The centre boasts a rich assortment of Victorian architecture due to the borough's history as a textile centre during the Industrial Revolution.

A market has been active since the 14th Century, while parts of the town's minster date back to the 13th Century.

However, modern times have featured the same post-industrial decline seen by many places across the north of England.

But, Dewsbury has a plan to try and change its fortunes with millions in funding likely to be poured into the town centre over the next decade.

I went to talk to the people about what they want - and what those tasked with reviving the West Yorkshire town aim to achieve.

Retired builder Adrian Quinn has lived in Dewsbury for more than 20 years.

He remembers a time when the town "used to have a big market and it would be enjoyable to come in, we had all the nice shops, clothes shops, furniture shops, fruit and vegetable shops we had them all.

"But now we have nothing but nail bars and barbers - which I don't need."

The 61-year-old says the town's working men's clubs and pubs used to be busy and the byproduct of that was ideas, deals and extra business.

Now, he says there's nowhere to go.

"We've only got two pubs. One's been in the same condition for 20 years, the other one is trying to revamp and attract a different clientele but no one has any money, so people just sit in."

He would like to see the council re-open the swimming baths and gym and to give older people somewhere better to go because "a lot of people are just sat in their houses or sat out because there's no where to go," he adds.

Karen Wilkinson, 57, also remembers a time when Dewsbury "were a grand town".

She describes the high street as somewhere that was "great" and had lots of department stores where people could buy the clothes they wanted.

Karen thinks when M&S left the town in 2007 it began a slow demise as people began to shop elsewhere.

"You could pick up court shoes, whatever you wanted, now we just have supermarkets where you can pick up bits of clothes.

"There's not one nice shop in Dewsbury where you could get clothes."

In comparison, when her husband needed new shoes recently he had to make the journey to Leeds city centre.

Karen thinks the rates which shops pay should be reduced by the council and old buildings should be opened up to create more retail space.

"That's the key - bring more shops in, it will bring people in and the town will regenerate," she adds.

Nabilah Afsal is a student at the local college and wants a greater focus on the diversity and community of the town.

"I'm a cultured person - I like to mix with people, so we need to bring people together.

"Celebrate cuture and diversity; here we have Kurdistan, Turkish, Pakistani, Europeans and British people - we should have an event that celebrates everyone

Nabilah would also like to see things like a creative writing workshop or some inspirational speakers.

"We don't have a lot of that here it is all takeaways."

Despite what the people I spoke to thought about investment in the town, money is being spent in Dewsbury town centre.

The Dewsbury Town Investment Plan (TIP), developed jointly by Kirklees Council and the-then Dewsbury Town Deal Board, secured £24.8m in 2021 from the government's Towns Fund.

Additional matched funding from Kirklees Council and partners is said to have created a total investment of over £60m.

In November, the Dewsbury Neighbourhood Board approved the priorities to be submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MCHLG) to try and deliver more funding.

It is, the local authority said, a "vital step" to unlock future funding of "£20m to cover the next 10 years".

Councillor Graham Turner says the submission could help provide a "brighter future".

"The partnership between Neighbourhood Board and the council is integral to ensure that not only can we deliver these ambitions, but make sure that the voices of the local community are being heard within the plans throughout and that will be clear within the delivery, if agreed.''

Sophie Johnson, chair of Dewsbury Neighbourhood Board, says they have heard what matters the most to the public: "Breathing life back into our heritage buildings, creating a safe and inviting town centre, and supporting our local businesses.

"It is not about going back to what Dewsbury used to be like 20 years ago, we don't want to re-create that.

"I think Dewsbury has always been a forward-thinking town. We've been at the forefront of industry and technology and change for the last, you know, 200 years, and we need to carry on with that.

"So we're not trying to rebuild the Dewsbury of 1989, we're trying to build the Dewsbury of 2029, 2039 and onwards.

"So it's not going to look the same, but it's going to be vibrant, positive - we are really excited."

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