[Margaret Pilkington]

Neil, there are other towns which have thriving markets and busy centres.
Perhaps it would be good for our council to go and look at their model to see how this was achieved.
Alas for Accrington I think it might be too late.
Shoppers wil go to where a shopping experience is a good one, or a different one.
Ramsbottom is a small town but they have a thriving Main Street with a variety of independent shops.

Over the years our councils of all persuasions have wasted money and opportunities to make the town centre better. They have not had a long term vision, or joined up ideas.
And this project is further evidence of how they are willing to squander our money in order to get lottery money for a development which wil do nothing at all for the town.
Worse still they try to link it to the Pals regiment for their own ends and to deflect criticism.

I have met no one who thinks that this town square project is a good idea, or that it will in any way make the town more attractive to visitors.
But it will go ahead regardless of what many of us think. We will have this foolish scheme foisted onto us because those who make the decisions about such things do not listen to what the people of the town think...or need. nothing changes in politics does it?

Oh yes, and it is very easy to blame the people of the town, but that Neil, is a cop out.