MP: Future can still be a bright one
MP Ian Lavery says a lot of positive work is going on in Ashington and insists the town can still have a bright future.
Mr Lavery was responding to our article in which we revealed how locals in the once-thriving pit community are now fearing for its future.
Residents say they are sometimes scared to go out after dark as violence around the pubs makes a night out a risk.
After seeing the traditional industries close and crime and drug use rise, people told us they felt Ashington was in decline.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also read the article and shared it on social media after Wansbeck MP Mr Lavery sent it to him.
Labour Party chairman Mr Lavery, who was born and bred in Ashington, said: “Ashington as a town has had more than its share of knocks over the past few decades.
“The article that appeared over the weekend captured the feeling of despair that many feel in a community that has been on the front line of attacks from government for decades.
“When Ashington Colliery closed in 1988 the very reason for the town’s being was torn away by a Conservative party that put destroying workingclass communities and the trade union movement at the heart of its agenda.”
The MP said the failure to replace the tens of thousands of good quality jobs that were once available across the great northern coalfield had been devastating to communities like Ashington. And he claimed austerity “has simply made matters worse”.
But he added: “Despite the challenges that the community and people in it face on a daily basis, it is not all bad news.
“In Ashington, there are wonderful community initiatives and charities run by volunteers and some fantastic businesses that have been developed in or relocated to the area.”