Orgreave inquiry and higher pension payments show support for former miners: Andy Lock:

We’ve also seen the announcement of an inquiry into the events at Orgreave which will hopefully get to the truth of what happened on that fateful day.

The campaigners responsible should be recognised for their achievements on these matters.

But the coalfield communities are not something of the past. The scars of the pit closures still impact on the 1.2 million people in Yorkshire living in coalfield communities today. The coalfields make up almost half of the 30 per cent most deprived communities in Yorkshire and almost one in five people in the coalfields claim out of work benefits.

One of the major factors behind this is a lack of locally based jobs, which has seen many young people move to the cities to build a better life.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust builds industrial units for SMEs, creating local jobs and economic growth and we re-invest the taxable profits into tackling social and economic challenges facing coalfield communities.

We have a successful record of delivery – our Weeland Park development was built on the site of the former Kellingley Colliery, thanks to support from Harworth Group and the former Leeds City Region LEP. It is now a thriving industrial estate helping to

support small businesses in areas which can often struggle to attract investment. It was recognised by the RICS as a scheme which generates significant social value while maximising value for money.

But real regeneration also comes from working with communities, so people are empowered to make the changes themselves.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust is proud to work with more than 1,000 grassroots community organisations, including 171 in Yorkshire’s coalfields. Our team help support these organisations with funding bids, work with them to create programmes which are shaped in that neighbourhood to benefit that neighbourhood. We work bottom up not top down.

We also tackle economic inactivity by offering one to one support for those furthest from the labour market. Our coaches will build people’s confidence, tackle their health issues and provide them with skills and training so they can get back into work – aligning with the government’s Pathways to Work.

We are asking the Government to help us expand by providing us with £10 million a year for the next five years. This will create a self-sustaining income stream to provide long term funding for the coalfields, built on the grit and graft that is embedded in our communities.

Our funding ask is supported by the 100+ MPs in the Labour Group for Coalfield Communities, several Mayors across England’s coalfield communities and hundreds of community organisations. They see a model which has already been proven to work. Our message to the Government is simple – while addressing the issues of the past, work with us to ensure the coalfields have a future where they can again reach their full potential.

Andy Lock, chief executive, Coalfields Regeneration Trust