Housing Minister Alex Norris visits Burnley to see state-of-the-art UCLan expansion

That was the message that local politicians expressed to a housing minister when he came to the borough earlier this month.

Alex Norris - the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Housing, Communities, and Local Government - visited Victoria Mill to see UCLan's medical training facilities. He also toured the university’s redeveloped Newtown Mill, which has transformed a brownfield site into a £15m teaching space and business interaction zone. The landmark has been restored thanks to funding from the UK Government, Lancashire County Council, and UCLan as part of a plan to turn Burnley into a university town, bringing in new jobs and further developing the area’s skillset and educational offering.

Burnley, Padiham, and Brierfield MP Oliver Ryan said such efforts to regenerate the town prove what it can achieve with government investment.

"It was good to show [Minister Norris] what we can do in Burnley. We have the get-up-and-go and ability to build things quickly. But we need government support.

"If funding does come in the future, we can say...Burnley is a good bet.”

MP Ryan believes many more areas in the borough "desperately need" private and government investment.

"We have too many old mills, sites by the canal, and streets worth of terraces crying out for brownfield investment that are under-insulated and aren't fit to stand for the next 100 years in Burnley. Part of the reason why we have a crisis with insulation and cowboys is because so many houses need work. We need decent housing if we want people to start businesses and grow their families here."

The MP says local politicians were "excited" for Minister Norris’ visit, adding: "I want to bring as many ministers to Burnley as possible over my time as an MP. And attract as much cash for the town as possible."