The historic UK town that’s ‘gone downhill’ as locals abandon high street | UK | News

A historic steel town in Lincolnshire once thrived on its bustling town centre and its world-renowned steelworks, which have long been an enduring source of employment for generations of local families and a cornerstone of the town’s pride and identity. In recent times, however, it has been facing quite a different reality with a rise in antisocial behaviour, empty shops, and a future put at risk by the potential shutdown of its most crucial and iconic industry.

As you enter Scunthorpe, it is impossible not to be struck by the sheer size and scale of the British Steel plant, dominated by four enormous blast furnaces all named after English queens: Bess, Mary, Anne, and Victoria.

Today, just Bess and Anne remain in operation, and it is the last plant in the UK able to make virgin steel, crucial for rail, construction, and defense. The plant faced the danger of closure earlier this year, which led the Government to make an unprecedented move and use emergency powers on April 12 to save the Scunthorpe site and the jobs of around 2,700 people.

Many in town think that Scunthorpe is too reliant on its steel. Peter Kelsey, 78, a farmer living about eight miles from Scunthorpe, has been visiting the town for over 50 years. He said many jobs would have been lost if the Government hadn’t taken urgent action to save the steelworks.

He added: “I think if they hadn’t done that, it would have been a lot worse. A lot of jobs would have been lost.”

But the reliance on British Steel is not the only challenge Scunthorpe faces. In Mary Street, Khyah Shearman and Lee Thomas, who are both partners in business and life and have always lived in Scunthorpe, said the town has changed a great deal since they were young.

They own Loubie’s Bookshop and Kitchen which just celebrated its first birthday – and the business has now grown from originally a bookshop with just hot drinks and cake into serving a wide range of homemade food and meals and events and now a brand new crumble counter. Ms Shearman is the cook, and Mr Thomas is the barista, and they make a good team despite being together 24/7, they laughed.

Interestingly, in Scunthrope, it seems better not to have your business on the high street. Ms Shearman said the couple feel fortunate to be just off the high street, as many customers avoid the town centre and view their shop as being on the outskirts, even if it’s just a road over. Its location, combined with the fact that there’s nothing else quite like it in Scunthorpe, makes it a unique destination.

Ms Shearman told the Express: “If we were in the high street and we relied on the footfall, it just wouldn’t go anywhere. It’s really sad because I remember going into town every Saturday with my mum and my nan for dinner and then doing a bit of shopping, but there’s just nothing now.”

They rarely go into town anymore. “I don’t really ever go in town. I don’t like to. It’s not the same as it used to be. It used to be bustling, shops everywhere. It’s rare that you would see a vacant shop. If there was a vacant shop, you’d go, ‘oh my God, what’s happened?’. But now if you see a new shop with something in it, it’s the opposite,” she added.

She said there is also a lack of independent shops: “They’re just trying to cram as many chains in. We’ve got two McDonald’s: one down the hill and one up the hill and they’re putting one in the middle. That’s fine, but support what’s already here so, the small locals, the independents. We don’t get anything. It’s more about getting the chains in just for the money.”

A “massive problem” in town is antisocial behaviour and shoplifting, Ms Shearman said, adding that someone was stabbed in broad daylight “the other week”, just at the end of the road. “It happens now,” she added. “It’s quite normal, unfortunately.”

She explained that many people avoid the town centre because crime is far less common around the retail parks and outskirts. In the centre, however, safety feels like a real concern.

“It’s somewhere where you definitely don’t wear your backpack on your back. I wouldn’t walk through town on my own now,” Ms Shearman said. “The area has gone downhill.”

Mr Thomas said there’s little to do in Scunthorpe, which makes Loubie’s stand out as a rare attraction where customers often remark that the café “is not like Scunthorpe,” praising it as something the town doesn’t otherwise have. Alongside food and books, Loubie’s hosts book clubs, sound baths and other events. While they could have opened anywhere, they wanted to create something special for the town, a welcoming space where people can relax alone or with friends.

Regarding what they think could be done to improve the issues in town, Ms Shearman said: “As far as I’m aware, they’ve offered cheaper rent and things for the empty units, to get people in there, to then try and get the town busy again. They put events on to try and get people in, but a lot of the time you see that the council is doing things that don’t necessarily need doing.

“I think they need to put themselves in our shoes and maybe look to see how worrying sustaining a business is when they’re constantly fighting against us. There’s always something, extra costs and legislation that you’ve got to follow, and running your own business, it’s not easy.”

She added that retail parks like Morrison’s and Tesco are far busier than the town centre, offering everything people need, which makes going into town less necessary.

Aryan Rakha, 21, from Bradford, who’s in town for two weeks for work and has been to Scunthorpe before, said he doesn’t think the high street can attract the younger generation. “Maybe somewhere else in Scunthorpe, but in this specific area, there’s not much to do for the young generation,” he said.

He feels the town could do with a wider range of shops, but he still thinks it looks nice and is enjoying his stay in Scunthorpe.

While challenges remain, an organisation is making a difference in the area and is growing as we speak. Oasis Community Space is a thriving hub that fosters creativity, learning, and collaboration with community initiatives that create hope.

The space offers a café, a social enterprise serving coffee, teas, snacks, and cakes, alongside a community pantry providing affordable groceries. It also has co-working spaces, workshops, and youth initiatives that encourage engagement and creativity.

Projects such as Scunthorpe Tomorrow, a network connecting local people, businesses, charities, and public sector organisations; a monthly market; and even a podcast studio are helping residents connect, collaborate, and actively shape the future of their town.

Tyrone Curran, hub leader at Oasis, said they are currently launching Neighbourhood Labs, a series of consultations across every ward in Scunthorpe, designed to listen to residents and understand what the community wants for the town. Scunthorpe is often defined by its steel, but local organisations are looking to broaden the town’s story.

Mr Curran said, “Let’s actually think about what the strong things are, and we can talk about steel, but that’s not the only thing that we should be talking about; there’s so much more to the town.”

Oasis, which runs two local primary academies and a community hub in the old library building, has been fostering opportunities for young people, particularly around employment: “That’s the main missing link here. It’s that for young people, there’s just no way for them actually to get work, and it’s the youth unemployment side of things is really something that we’re trying to address.”

Oasis also connects residents with networks and mentors, helping them envision opportunities beyond the town: “That’s what we think is our unique part to play, is connecting the dots.”

Oasis is working to break down silos in Scunthorpe, bringing together the third sector, private businesses, public institutions, and local communities to collaborate more effectively: “In order to see change in Scunthorpe, there needs to be a genuine sort of change in the way that communities are being invited into the conversation.”

Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Rob Waltham MBE said: “The Government must act now to protect town centre businesses.

“The council does not set business rates – they are set nationally by the Labour Government, and right now they are doing everything possible to strangle small businesses with higher costs and extra burdens. The hike in National Insurance is a tax on jobs – it makes it harder for people to create work, harder to maintain work, and harder for towns like Scunthorpe to thrive.

“We do not own properties in the town centre, so we cannot set rent levels either – but what we can do, and are doing, is stepping in with practical support to help local businesses through tough times.

“Areas like Scunthorpe need all the help they can get. The previous Conservative Government backed us with tens of millions of pounds to regenerate the town centre – that investment is being delivered right now, transforming the high street, but these are long-term projects. Without urgent action from Labour, thousands of high street jobs could be lost before the benefits are fully felt.

“The truth is simple: while we are doing everything we can locally – cutting costs with rate relief, supporting landlords to bring empty shops back into use, driving footfall with family events, tackling anti-social behaviour and littering head-on – Labour is standing by while small businesses are crushed under the weight of its policies.

“Our priority is clear: we want Scunthorpe to be a thriving place where local people feel proud, businesses can prosper and families want to visit. We will keep investing, keep listening, and keep backing our town – but unless the Labour Government changes course, they will preside over the destruction of Britain’s high streets.”