Barnsley

Barnsley is a large town in South Yorkshire, England, lying on the River Dearne, approximately twenty kilometres north of Sheffield. It is between junctions 36 and 37 of the M1 motorway and has a railway station served by the Hallam and Penistone Lines. It is the main town in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley.

Future

Barnsley's past as a coal-mining centre came to an end in the era of the Thatcher Government.The Thatcher government decided that the nationally-owned pits were uncompetitive with their European counterparts. They then proceeded to close the pits abruptly and an extended period of mass unemployment began. For a time, Barnsley was classed as the 31st most deprived area of the EU, and was voted the 'worst town in Britain' by the 1998 Guinness survey. However, Barnsley received many EU grants and although regeneration is now underway, it still falls behind the other local towns Doncaster, Wakefield, Sheffield and Leeds. The education system is a large problem. However, crime is lower in Barnsley than in almost all other "metropolitan" areas. Hi-tec business parks such as the Dearne Valley provide EU subsidies for startup firms, but are generally used by call centres setting up in the area because of low salary levels. Recreation is a major industry, with coach parties travelling from nearby towns to access Barnsley's acclaimed night-life. Sheffield's dry ski slope was created by former miners investing their redundancy money. Slazenger tennis balls were made in a Barnsley factory that was only recently bulldozed to make way for new housing.

Related Topics:
Thatcher - Counterparts - Doncaster - Wakefield - Sheffield - Leeds - Dearne Valley - Dry ski slope - Slazenger

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More controversially, Barnsley is currently asking whether to rebrand itself to shed its coal-mining past. Plans are in progress to encircle the town with a 'ring of light'; a huge abstract sculpture of shapes and fluorescence. There is also a scheme to remodel much of the town's architecture on a 'Tuscan hill village' theme.

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The question of whether to celebrate Barnsley's coal past or to look instead to the future is epitomised by The Plinth. The Plinth was built in the centre of the town for a statue. However there has been disagreement as to what the statue should be of. Traditionalists would like to see a miner, or perhaps Arthur Scargill. The youth and large student population of Barnsley and other Futurists would prefer to leave those images behind and choose an emblem of the EU, or of technology. The most popular suggestion so far seems to be a statue of famous Barnsley Cricket umpire Dickie Bird, a symbol of good will and fair play.

Related Topics:
Arthur Scargill - Dickie Bird

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