25 May
Dear Michael Gove,
I hope this finds you well. I am writing to you as a hopeful resident of Burnley, for which you suggested as a potential location for the House of Lords whilst Parliament gets it's long over due refurbishment.
I wish to offer my sincere support of this suggestion as Burnley is not only an excellent town, but would be an ideal location for the Lords themselves to see what a northern British mill town looks like, who it's people are, and why towns such as ours are deserving of more attention.
Usually the cities get much of the limelight - internationally recognised and each with their own character and sub-culture. I offer no discredit to our wonderful cities and what they provide for the nation. However, if one wanted to understand Britain as a whole, then it's in her towns one should look. We are not only a nation of shopkeepers, but a nation of towns too. If we levelled up our towns, we will be levelling up our great country with them.
Burnley is not just an ordinary town, but is a member of a special category of town - the mill town. As is much the case with our neighbours, in our heyday, Burnley was a major industrial epicentre. In fact for a long time, Burnley was the largest cotton milling town in the world. Burnley, along with the North West, in those days was a cornerstone of British manufacturing and the economy. Us Burnley folk are quite proud of our illustrious past.
What we are less proud of though is how places like ours have been forgotten, left to decay, and wallow in self-pity. Burnley is again on the up I am glad to say, but that only comes after decades of being the land Parliament forgot.
I am also the Burnley Conservative Association Chairman, so I am know the MP Antony Higginbotham very well. When we won our stomping great majority in 2019, and Burnley turned blue for the first time since 1910, I foresaw a great future. One where Burnley will be put front and centre of the governments agenda - as well as other such places too.
Your proposal for Burnley to be the location for House of Lords, albeit temporarily, is fantastic news and helps show that indeed our town is in the minds of those in Government. Support for this seems to be crossing party lines, with Labour's Lord Khan of the town, for whom I also am friendly, has expressed his erstwhile support for the proposal.
I only ask of you now, that you put it to those cities who are vying to be the host too, give up the limelight for a moment and let Burnley have some too - after-all Burnley is the place to be.
As we did in 2019, let's make history again.
PS: I also offer my personal invitation for you to visit our fantastic town.
Dale Joseph Ferrier
Dale Joseph Ferrier