"You can't change the world, but you can change things locally": The Greater Manchester town which is about to be run like a co-operative - and Steve Coogan is driving the change

Yahoo

4 days ago

Middleton is set for a revamp - and comedian Steve Coogan will be a key part in driving the change. New homes and businesses, improved roads and a Metrolink stop could all be part of the regeneration.
The changes will be part of the Middleton 'mayoral development corporation' (MDC) - a public body which will oversee the regeneration. It will see Rochdale council collaborating with Andy Burnham to rejuvenate the town.
Mr Coogan, who hails from Alkrington, will join forces with Co-operatives chief executive Rose Marley to drive the project.
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'Middleton is a town I want to help because it's helped me,' he says. 'It was a great place to grow up and it did a lot for me.
'It's a town really rich in history, the history of people power, and it has a great civil rights history, with social reformers like Sam Bamford coming from this area. It's a place which has a strong sense of its own identity.'
Mr Coogan - whose grandparents lived on the Langley estate - says his years of gigging across the UK taught him that Middleton people 'have got a sense of themselves'.
Key to the rejuvenation will be consultation with those residents.
He adds: 'The Mayoral Development Corporation to me is a very exciting opportunity for me to put back into a community that was very good to me and helped me in my early years.
'I feel I owe the people of Middleton a debt. That's why I'm happy to be involved and talk to people in Middleton and ask them what they want and what they need.
'You can't change the world, but you can change the things in your locality if you get involved. So I'm getting involved.'
At the heart of the plans are proposals - which councillors have long lobbied for - to bring the Metrolink to Middleton; create new homes on brownfield plots; high-quality business premises; and better public areas, roads and pathways.
Ms Marley - who grew-up in north Manchester and still has friends and family in Middleton - says she is confident Middleton people will tell her and Mr Coogan what they need.
'Middleton has a great cultural and musical heritage and Middleton people stand up for what they believe in. There is a real character and sense of community here,' she says.
Ms Marley says the MDC model will unlock investment - but it must be delivered in line with local needs and desires.
'As Rochdale is the birthplace of the co-operative movement, we're keen to run the Middleton MDC along co-operative values, to ensure that everyone has a voice and the wealth is distributed as close as possible to where it is generated,' she says.
'We don't just want a gentrification in Middleton,' Mr Coogan adds.
'We want it to be something that empowers the local people and brings in investment and improves the lives of everyone who lives there.'
The idea of an MDC for Middleton was put forward by Rochdale Borough Council to help build on the regeneration which has already taken place in the area - including the opening of the Middleton Arena, the redevelopment of Middleton Gardens and the restoration of a number of historic buildings across the town centre.
Previous ambitions for a revamp have been scuppered by red tape - something the MDC powers should unlock.
It's hoped the model will be so successful it's used for other Greater Manchester towns and those across the U.K.
The Middleton MDC chairs-designate were announced as part of the launch of the Greater Manchester Strategy 2025-2035, a blueprint for how Mr Burnham and the region's councils will work together over the next decade.
Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, says he is delighted with the plans.
'Although he enjoys national and international fame and success, Middleton-born Steve retains a deep connection to the area and I'm thrilled that he is using his voice and profile to help to turbo charge its regeneration,' he says.
'I'm also delighted that Rose Marley is lending her extensive expertise to this vital project.
'As a councillor in Middleton for many years, and someone who, like Steve, attended Cardinal Langley School, I'm incredibly passionate about the area and know that with the right support in place, we can achieve great things for the benefit of its residents.
'We've already done a lot to regenerate Middleton in recent years, but we need to take it much further and an MDC gives us that extra power to do even more, even faster.
'We're still early on in this process, and we will be speaking to residents and businesses across Middleton in the coming months to find out what they want from an MDC and how they want it to work.'
Mr Burnham - whose first job was as an unpaid reporter on the Middleton Guardian - says the next decade will be all about ensuring everyone benefits from 'our economic growth story'.
'I know Steve and Rose will be fully committed to that mission, and we're all excited to work with them to deliver for residents in Middleton,' he says.
'Steve is a real champion of community-led change and the power of local people to make a difference - so it's fantastic to have him leading a new Mayoral Development Corporation right here in his home town.'