Whitby cliff lift replacement bus service reviewed
"We understand how important the seafront in Whitby is for residents and visitors alike," he said."However, with the cliff lift currently closed and the use of the replacement bus service low and of great cost to the taxpayer, it's only right that we review the future of the service."According to the council, while it would be possible to restore the lift to working order, this would come at a significant cost.In 2024, this was estimated at over £1m, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.Damage caused by water seeping into the lift's structure and ventilation issues could also continue to pose challenges in the future, as would the cost of operation and maintenance.Following the consultation, a report will be presented to the council's executive members to determine the future of the replacement bus service.
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The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
We left the UK & bought a three-bed in Bulgaria for £6k, we'll homeschool our kids there – but the garden terrifies me
A WOMAN has shared an inside look into the home she and her partner purchased without even viewing it. The Welsh family ditched the UK in favour of the affordable property in Bulgaria. And while the massive three-bedroom home only set the couple back £6,000, they shared their fears that they may have bitten off more than they can chew. Posting on the family's TikTok account The Rolling Rucks, the mum-of-three gave viewers a virtual tour of the home. She explained that they drove from their native South Wales to the property in their camper van to inspect their purchase. However, upon arriving at the home, she wondered aloud if they had made a mistake. She revealed that the property is "much much bigger" than they had expected. While the TikToker was only able to show one room inside the home, she did give her followers a look around the garden. Garden woes She shared her concerns that they would have to knock down some of the structure to create room for their camper van. The mum added that they would also need "a chainsaw or five" to tackle the overgrown garden. However, her main concern with the outdoor space had nothing to do with the extensive work required. "I am freaking out about the snakes because this garden, there's going to be tons of them in there," she said. I've moved to hidden historic town where houses are the price of handbags & pints are cheaper than Tesco sandwiches The mum revealed that once they had tackled the garden, they would inspect the home to determine if it was worth saving. She explained that they were considering knocking it down and replacing it with a log cabin instead. "Now we knew we had a challenge on our hands but I'm not going to lie, this is a lot worse than what I was expecting," the TikToker said. She added that they were going to get to work on the property straight away, with the hopes of homeschooling their three children in the process. Viewer reactions TikTok users shared their thoughts on the property in the comments section. 5 Tips to Get on The Property Ladder Saving for your first property is tough, but it is possible. Here are a few steps for first-time buyers. 1. Cut back on luxuries and start saving Consistent monthly saving is the best way to accumulate enough money to get on the ladder, for a deposit and purchase fees. To do this, you need to take a look at your monthly outgoings and think about what can be cut out - holidays, new clothes, weekly takeaway. Using a savings calculator can help you to establish how long you will need to save for a deposit. Based on your income, you can figure out a realistic amount to save each month. 2. Have a realistic property search Set a budget for the property price you would like to buy, and think realistically about the location and size of your property. While we all may want that house with a view or extra bedroom, can you afford it? 3. Research Help To Buy and Shared Ownership schemes The government has introduced a few ways to help first-time-buyers get on the property ladder and they're great for those on lower incomes or to buy a property in more expensive areas like London. 4. Consider buying with another person Investing with somebody else you know is a sure way to get onto the property ladder. You only need to save half the amount you would otherwise, so you can work towards getting your property sooner. You can invest with a friend, family or partner. Naturally, it is a big step and a huge commitment so be open and honest about what you expect from living together — if you haven't already. 5. Talk to a mortgage broker and get your documents in order A mortgage broker can tell you exactly how much you can borrow for a mortgage, what you will need to pay monthly and in upfront costs. "Best to clear your garden, knock down and rebuild," advised one viewer. "The potential is amazing. Stay positive and remember Rome wasn't built in a day," said another follower. "I'm a builder and I wouldn't take on that. But best of luck with it," commented a third person. More stories from Brits living abroad And there are more Brits opting to live in Bulgaria over the UK, with one family transforming their home on a budget. Another couple shared their plans for the Italian mansion they purchased at half the asking price. One woman shared the lavish life she now leads after leaving Britain for Thailand. And a man left his life in the UK to work in the sunshine state, earning triple his previous salary.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I quit London for a 'disintegrating' seaside town dubbed 'God's waiting room' because it's so full of retirees - here's why it's the best decision I ever made
Scrolling through the comments underneath an article about Worthing in West Sussex, I felt a prickle of doubt. 'Probably the blandist of the Sussex seaside towns,' one commentator complained. 'So, it's like joining the afterlife a little early?' another wag asked. And honestly? A small town with a 'retirement-home feel' didn't sound like the kind of place I could grow to love. By the time Covid hit in 2020, I'd lived in London for over 20 years. I'd spent my 20s and 30s making the most of its pubs, restaurants and theatres, pursuing my career in journalism and making friends along the way (many of whom were, like me, child-free and able to wring every drop of fun out of London life as we hit our mid-40s). But when lockdown arrived, and with it a dramatic drop in the pace of life, I decided it was time for a change. My fiancé Don, who works in the music industry, had applied to work from home permanently, and didn't much care where he lived as long as he had a good internet connection. Meanwhile, I dreamt of writing novels by the seaside and was starting to tire of the frenetic pace of life in the capital, so it seemed like the ideal opportunity to make the leap. I've always had a huge soft spot for Brighton – AKA London-on-Sea – but as house prices soared during the stamp-duty holiday and we struggled to sell our tiny, gardenless one-bedroom flat in Walthamstow, we quickly found ourselves priced out of my dream location. Although we put our flat on the market for the same price we'd paid for it in 2016, just before the property bubble burst, we'd paid off enough of the mortgage and had garnered enough savings to afford somewhere a bit more expensive when we moved. But in the two years it took us to sell up, house prices in the area we had our eye on soared by over £100,000, until we simply couldn't afford the extra cost. It was when I was bemoaning the likelihood that Brighton was now fully out of reach that a friend asked if I'd considered Worthing. My first response was, 'Umm… who?' I'd literally never heard of it. Located ten miles west of Brighton, Worthing is a quiet seaside town known for its award-winning pier and for being a thriving holiday resort – back in the 18th century, that is. More recently, it has become a place where retirees flock, earning it a reputation as 'God's waiting room.' As I did some digging into whether it might suit us as our new home, the slow pace of life and 'disintegrating' town centre sounded a world away from the vibrant city atmosphere I hankered for. But if we wanted to upgrade our poky, 550 sqft flat to a house with a spare bedroom and a garden by the sea, I realised we might not have a choice. Slightly reluctantly, I booked a clutch of house viewings, headed to the town dubbed 'a seaside relic,' and waited to be thoroughly underwhelmed. Instead, it was love at first sight. As we walked from the station down to the front, seagulls cawing overhead, the briny smell of the sea gradually got stronger, triggering welcome memories of happy childhood holidays – one of the main reasons I've always wanted to live by the coast. In between house viewings we wandered the town centre to take in its independent shops and the big M&S, walked up the beautiful pier to soak up the view, and watched people making the most of one of the mobile sauna huts on Worthing's pebble beach. We ate next-level goat birria tacos at a cheerful little Mexican place called Saltio, stopped for craft beers at a tiny micropub called Anchored, and bought an ice-cream from one of several vendors dotted along the seafront. Although the houses we viewed that day weren't quite right for us, we decided that Worthing definitely was. So in June 2022, we moved into a rental flat while we continued our hunt for a place to buy, and in April the following year we moved into our new home – a four-bedroom, semi-detached house with a big garden that's a five-minute walk from the sea. Although it's three times the size of our London flat, our new house cost just over £100,000 more than our flat to buy, and was just within our budget. And two years on, I'm still marvelling at how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful place. Yes, Worthing might be a magnet for retirees – including my parents, who followed us here from Essex in 2024. Like any seaside town, it can feel a little bit drab out of season, and the town centre has suffered from its fair share of shop closures over the years. As neither Don nor I drive, we feel a bit more isolated than when we lived in London and could hop on a train to anywhere in the UK (although with five stations, Worthing is relatively well connected), and I do miss having some of the world's best restaurants on my doorstep. But those niggles pale into comparison when you consider Worthing's wonderful, welcoming community, its vibrant arts scene, its ever-changing menu of innovative bars and restaurants and the joys of living by the sea. As well as writing novels here, just like I dreamed (signed copies are dutifully stocked in our local branch of Waterstones) I've started painting, too. After chatting to the owners of a lovely independent shop on the seafront called Inspired I'm now, very proudly, one of the local artists and makers they showcase. There's plenty to keep us entertained, from the annual Pride event, food festival and fireworks nights, to the once-a-year opening of an ancient fig-tree garden in Tarring village. Life is cheaper here, too – I can buy a cinema ticket, a packet of sweets and a glass of wine for about the same as the price of the ticket alone in London. Whenever we meander into town – perhaps to watch the sunset with a drink in hand at our favourite beach café, Coast – we always notice how spotless Worthing is compared to London. There's always someone freshly painting a wall or mowing a grass verge, and the promenade and beach are completely free of litter. Living a 20-minute stroll from town means my social life has blossomed. I've made some great friends through the local book club, taking part in pub quizzes, craft nights and carol singing. And when my London friends visit (you're never short of guests when you live by the sea), Worthing is never quite what they expect. They marvel at the beauty of the pier and the promenade, the fantastic food and the friendly vibe, coupled with a peaceful atmosphere that's a world away from London's frenetic pace. Worthing might be known as God's waiting room – but for me, it's a slice of heaven.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Is this Britain's most depressing ghost town? How once-thriving market town has 'gone to the dogs' and is lined with empty shops
Nowhere sums up the decline of the British high street quite as graphically as Burslem. Once a thriving, mega-rich market town, it is now so dominated by boarded-up buildings that there seem to be more empty storefronts than occupied ones. It may also be the grandest place you've never heard of, containing 27 listed buildings and as many blue plaques as there are open shops. The small Stoke-on-Trent town's stunning architecture stemmed from the 18th and 19th centuries when the area's Pottery industries dominated the globe. Now parts of it are so derelict they make you wonder whether you've slept through an apocalypse. As Terry Cotes, 72, who has lived in the area all his life, observed: 'The only banks now in Burslem are food banks. 'Everything has closed and deteriorated. The market has been gone for decades now.' Everyone over the age of 50 remembers a bustling town. Jim, 74, recalled: 'When I was a clay delivery driver in the 1970s your greatest fear would be a drop off in Burslem because the place was rammed.' But by 2019, Burslem had a higher percentage of empty units than anywhere else in the UK. By 2019 the market town had the highest percentage of empty units compared to anywhere else in the UK Culturally, the change is stark. Terry pointed to the George Hotel, built in the 1920s and close to the town square. 'My wife and I had our wedding reception at the George. It was a lovely hotel – the place to go in Burslem for a special occasion.' Not anymore. The hotel still has distinctive features – a cabinet in the lobby showcasing the china cups that made the Potteries famous and a drawing room with plush leather sofas, but that is where the chic ends. An online search says it is 'permanently closed', there is no-one on reception, and a sign next to the desk lists a selection of local soup kitchens and food banks. Locals say that for over a decade it had been a refuge for those with drug and alcohol issues, but is now mainly used by asylum seekers and homeless families. Terry Landis, 60, visiting the cobblers opposite, said: 'I have seen that building over 20 years now and in that time the curtains have never been cleaned. 'The frames look like they could fall out at any minute and most of us think it's a blessing that it is now used by refugees. 'Before that it was alcoholics and druggies. There'd be an ambulance out every day, often twice a day and the clientele scared everybody off.' For years, Stoke-on-Trent, which comprises six towns of which Burslem is known as the 'Mother', became synonymous with monkey dust, a powerful and cheap hallucinogen. Former pottery worker Shelley Bond, 62, visiting the Post Office across the road, said: 'It's true. I was frightened to bring my grandchildren into Burslem. 'You don't want them to see people in that state. You don't want to have those conversations. 'This was a buzzing little town but in the nineties the decline became really rapid. 'The pottery firms moved production to Indonesia – chasing a profit as they do and now there's not much left.' Next door to the Post Office, which sits opposite the spectacularly grand old Town Hall, is literally carnage. It was once the Grade II listed Leopard Hotel, serving punters since the early 18th century. It was where the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution - Josiah Wedgwood, James Brindley and Erasmus Darwin met for a pint in 1765 to discuss the building of the Trent-Mersey Canal. Fast forward a quarter of a millennia and along came Covid. The Leopard then morphed from a pub into a cannabis farm and, in January 2022 it was ravaged by a mysterious fire, for which there has been no official explanation. Now it stands derelict, held up by scaffolding and masked by ugly boards. Plans were submitted last year to turn it into a string of shops with flats above but they have now been withdrawn and there was little optimism locally. 'As far as we are aware there is nothing at all happening with the Leopard,' said the sub post-mistress next door. And no wonder, the four shops next to the Leopard have been boarded up for so long few can remember what they once were. Oh how different it once was. The area was gifted the perfect combination for making china and pottery – a rich clay soil, coal and woodland. And during the 18th century, as Britain cemented its control over the Indian sub-continent and tea became the national drink, the Potteries provided the cups and saucers. In addition, Pottery patterns were used to redecorate the Houses of Parliament after a fire destroyed much of it in 1834. It gave the area a rich artistic tradition and at the heart of that history is Queen's Street where the vast, gothic Wedgwood Institute sits with stone carvings representing each month of the zodiac. It was built from public subscription in 1863 incorporating what remained of Wedgwood's original Brick Works from a century before. It became an art school, then a library and now it, like many other buildings in Burslem, is on English Heritage's At Risk Register. A former councillor Alan Dutton quipped: 'You could fire a canon up Queen Street and there'd be no danger of hitting anyone.' That's not quite true – there is an art centre opposite the Institute, a butchers open one day a week, a barbers operating under a Trusted Autos shop front and a Polski Slep supermarket. Explore further and, according to local gossip, there's a swinger's club but the overwhelming impression is emptiness. Gone is the Boots along with a letting agent, a courier shop, an insurance broker and a takeaway. And, although the sign is still there, it is decades since the huge indoor market was open. Marilyn Mountford, 72, said: 'I heard they had £1.25 million to do this street up. I'm told it's going to be tree-lined. 'But it's been like this for years. The place has gone to the dogs. All we hear is talk of what they are going to do to but nothing happens. 'Businesses cannot afford the rents so the shops are empty and their doorways are full of rough sleepers.' Pointing to another imposing 19th century building, she added: 'That was a cannabis farm. Now there's some foreign chap wants to do it up into flats and but he can't afford the standards the Council are after.' Burslem born Steve Cleveland 78 said: 'This place used to heave with working people. What has happened in the last 20 or 30 years could make you weep.' Some old buildings have survived. On Cleveland Street is the snooker club with the same stain glass over its entrance that it had when it opened in 1914. 'We've got eleven full sized tables, nine of which are the originals from 1914,' said manager Trevor Scragg, 43, 'and 845 members.' He worked all hours to revive it after Covid but he admits the local area is a problem: 'We have a lot of homeless people on the street and a lot of recent arrivals and it doesn't help the area. 'We have got such a lot of history to be proud of from the brick kilns to Robbie Williams.' Robbie spent his earliest years in Burslem's Red Lion pub, run by his parents, before moving just up the road to Tunstall. The angel atop the old Town Hall is said to have inspired his greatest hit. That pub, said to have been serving drinks since the 15th century, now has sold signs on the hoardings and is set to be turned into flats. But now hope has arrived in Burslem from beyond the grave in the shape of another music icon – Lemmy, lead singer of heavy metal legends Motorhead. Unlike Robbie, Lemmy, real name is Ian Fraser Kilmister, was Burslem born and bred and in May of this year his statue was erected in the town square. Now the words, 'Lemmy Forever' stretch out across another abandoned architectural wonder. The Queen's Theatre, with its marble staircases and art deco interior, was originally built in 1911 as a new town hall. But when Stoke-on-Trent gained city status in 1925, it was transformed into a theatre which has been unused since 2014. Now plans are afoot to turn it into an event space with 850 seats, room for 1,200 standing, a café and a Rainbow Gar and Grill. Amanda Bromley, 58, who runs the Barewall Art Gallery opposite, says it could save the town. 'Lemmy's statue was designed by Andy Edwards who did the Beatles in Liverpool,' she said. 'It is a beautiful piece of work and since the statue went up we have seen people coming here from all over the world. 'We are becoming a global destination for rock fans. Two days ago I had an Ozzy Osbourne impersonator from Japan in the shop. 'Motorhead's management company in Los Angeles are involved and that theatre is a sleeping giant. 'People are calling this place Burslemmy. His legacy could save this place.' There are other signs that the area's luck may be about to change – the local football team, Port Vale were promoted last year to League One. Sitting next to the statue, retail worker Rob Hassall, 62, was sceptical. 'Don't get me wrong,' he said, 'rock music has a very big following and I would love to see something in that place. 'There's been talk of Slash from Guns n Roses, another Stoke lad, coming to play. 'Perhaps things are changing. Port Vale is very important to the area, it's where the biggest of the markets used to be and they're on the up. 'It would be great but as for Lemmy saving Burslem, I'll believe it when I see it.'
