When asked about the government’s ‘levelling up’ plan in Ashton town centre, a blank look falls over most shoppers’ faces.
The long-awaited plans aiming to narrow the north-south divide were finally unveiled yesterday.
The White Paper sets out a series of wide-ranging national “missions” – from improving public transport to ensuring access to 5G broadband – to be enshrined in law.
There are also plans for more areas to have metro mayors, similar to the role played by Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester.
As part of the scheme, Ashton is set to receive £20m to restore its Grade II listed town hall.
The Manchester Evening News visited the town on Wednesday to ask people for their thoughts on the plan.
And while we were mostly met with confusion, many were surprised to learn what the cash is actually going towards.
Security guard Damian Harvey, who works at Ladysmith Shopping Centre, says Ashton town centre used to be “booming”.
However, he thinks it’s gone downhill in recent years.
The 51-year-old believes the funds should go towards preventing anti-social behaviour in the market place.
He also thinks the money could help the town centre look more appealing, while fellow security guard Wayne Taylor says the funding could create entertainment hubs.
“They should spend it on doing up this sh** hole, he added.
“It’s gone downhill. It used to be booming and it’s getting worse and worse.
“You get all the homeless hanging about and a lot of trouble around here.
“We had one woman who worked in Iceland that gave her job up because she was too scared to go home at night.
"After 4pm the market is just full of kids causing trouble.
“I think more policing could stop that.
“Money should be spent on dolling the place up and getting it back to what it used to be.
“It would bring people back from all over like it used to.”
Councillors previously raised concerns over the town hall, believing it was being left to rot.
Last year, the authority spent £270,000 in a bid to stop it deteriorating any further.
The building, which opened in 1840, has been closed since 2015.
Bosses planned to reopen it as part of phase three of the Vision Tameside project, but the collapse of construction firm Carillion delayed works.
Paulette Jackson believes the funding could be put towards building new shops in the town centre.
“The bus station was a complete waste of money and the market is rubbish,” the 75-year-old, from Openshaw, said.
"There’s nothing open and it attracts trouble. I don’t know why they had to alter it.
“The money could be spent on shops. They’re all charity shops and bargain shops; we could do with a shop where you go in and get a nice dress.
“We don’t have a big store and parking is expensive.
“It puts people off coming in.”
Her sister-in-law, 79-year-old Anne Jackson, from Ashton, added: “I don’t think they spend money right.
"They could encourage better shops.”
Adam James believes the new market stalls in Ashton town centre are “shocking”.
He also says they attract anti-social behaviour.
“It looks like a state,” the 24-year-old told the M.E.N.
“They rolled out new market stalls and it’s shocking. People set fire to them and that.”
Talking about the town hall, Dawn Walker, 54, said: “They might benefit from it, but the people won’t.
“There needs to be more seating. When people are doing their shopping people need to sit down, there’s nothing if you’re struggling.
“We also need a public toilet.
“It’s wrong. The £20m can go towards something else.”
Jude Alltimes, who has lived in Ashton for three years, also believes there could be more shops in the town centre.
“Some better shops would be good. I’ve only lived here for three years; there used to be a Topshop, Next,” she said.
“It’s like everywhere, it’s losing shops.
“It could do with some better street cleaning. There’s lots of dog poo.
“It’s a big rough.
“If we have better quality shops and thinks I think we would have a better clientele visiting Ashton because the transport links are good.
“There are lots of shops doubled up like hairdressers and jewellers but no shops whre you can go for a nice clothes shop.
“It’s would be nice to have a choice to go to the city centre or here.”
Kayleigh Prescott thinks the empty market stalls frequently attract trouble.
She believes using the money to brighten up the town centre would also stop it looking so “gloomy”.
“There’s always kids on Ashton market and people smoking drugs,” the 21-year-old added.
“They should fully close the markets or fill it with stalls instead of it being empty. It looks gloomy.”
