Stoke-on-Trent people 'forgotten' amid 'stalled' regeneration

The Spode factory in Stoke-on-Trent stopped trading in 2008

Residents of Stoke-on-Trent have said they feel "forgotten" amid setbacks to a project to help regenerate the city.

The council received a £56m grant from the government's Levelling Up Fund in October 2021, with £10m allocated for the Spode Works site.

But a company chosen to develop plans for the former pottery was recently dissolved, raising doubts about the future of that component of the scheme.

Stoke-on-Trent Council said a new masterplan was being drawn up.

Residents along with businesses owners said Levelling Up plans had stalled, with few signs of progress at Spode.

"We're forgotten here in Stoke-on-Trent - nobody cares and that's why it's desolate," one resident told the BBC.

Daniel Jellyman said there was a risk funding would be handed back to the government

The local authority entered into an agreement with Nimrod Holdings Group to develop plans for the Spode factory site, which closed in 2008. The company was marked as dissolved on 3 October.

"We've been warning residents, saying there's a real risk that part of the £56m will be handed back to government, because of total inaction from the council since May," Tory councillor Daniel Jellyman said of the Labour-led administration.

The government had previously said it expected all Levelling Up funding to be spent by the end of March 2024, or 2025 for larger projects.

Jeff Nash said there had been "hardly any progress" on plans for Spode Works

A frustrated Jeff Nash, owner of the Pot Bank Café, said: "Everything has stopped since two years ago, so there's really been hardly any progress on the Spode site, other than very small things."

A council spokesperson said the authority was consulting with Homes England and Historic England and local stakeholders, as part of a process of reviewing the site's future.