New chairman for Burnley Bondholders

Burnley Bondholders, which now has more than 200 members, was formed to drive forward the borough's ambitions of becoming a place where businesses could flourish, and businesses wanted to invest.

The Burnley brand and Burnley Bondholder scheme is led by the Focus Burnley Group. He will carry out his duties alongside his role at VEKA - a leading manufacturer of uPVC profile. At its 35-acre Burnley factory, VEKA employs over 400 people, most from the local area.

He said: "It’s been a challenging time for our town over the past couple of years, but I’ve been amazed how the Burnley Bondholders and other businesses, along with our community groups and residents, have pulled together during this period.

“I’ve been hugely impressed by the passion for Burnley, not only in VEKA, but across all the businesses in our borough. This was evident within the first hour of my interview for my role at VEKA with my predecessor Dave Jones.

“It’s an honour to have joined the Focus Burnley Group and to have become the new chair. I look forward to working with the bondholders, Burnley Borough Council and our other partners to help steer the town further into recovery and to attract further investment to Burnley, which includes the recent announcements about UCLan and Burnley College expansions and work starting on Pioneer Place.”

Mr Mick Cartledge, chief executive of Burnley Borough Council, said: “Neil will make a fantastic chair, he’s made an impactful contribution to the borough already and I look forward to working more closely with him.”