HUDDERSFIELD: Another Great Northern Town Suffering Government Cuts

I Went to Huddersfield for a walk around the town centre, this once great northern industrial town has suffered immensely due to government cut backs.

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Welcome to my Channel,

My name is James and I live full time in my tiny van, however this is not just a van life channel. I enjoy travel, food and drink and making videos 🙂
When I turned 50 I decided I’d had enough of the rat race and working long hours just to pay rent and bills, life was passing me by and I needed a drastic change.

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Helen has a responsible full time job and two children so unfortunately she can’t join me on every trip. I really wish she could.

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Hey I’m at Barnsley train station uh and I thought do something a bit different today I thought I’d go on the train and have a look around Huddersfield because it’s not far it’s about 40 minutes on train and I really want to have a look at Huddersfield train

Station so let’s go and buy a Ticket Please remain Vigilant if you see anything suspicious please report it to our team so we made it and that wasn’t very busy at All all right see you bye so here we are at Hood isfield train station and what a beautiful station it is although the weather could uh do a beIN a bit better let’s have a look so yet again as is the norm on my Vlogs it’s bloody

Raining and there seems to be loads of Road works as usual everywhere you go these they sort of doing stuff Renovations I don’t know what this is look at these sort of security cameras here watching every move I’m filming them filming me so look at them columns and that carvings on them it’s

Fantastic now it was built in 1847 by James pritet I think he was called I can’t remember and uh he built lead toown all as well which is a very quite a similar building you know with the columns quite the same structure he was a famous Yorkshire

Architect and it’s it’s quite a busy station now it was busy about then but it’s been extended a few times and you can see these these two bits on the side and both of them are pubs you’ve got the king’s head there and on that side you’ve got the head of

Steam now seen as it is raining I think I ought to head in the pub and and just hopefully it’ll have stopped raining I’ll just have a half I think K so going keg I’ve got your lovely mile by Timmy Taylor Lely ruby red from Cameron it’s

Nice strong arm beer and I think it’s the dairy freak which is nice I’m about to put the magic no magic got da freaks on and I’m about to put the midnight Bell by lead Brewery on as well I like magic Rock so well I’ll I’ll have one I’ll try it

Yeah D yeah Please that’s a nice pint that lovely thank you thanks for recommending it so it’s it’s sto raining now which is good I don’t know how long that’s going to last cuz it’s still quite cloudy and uh right I’m going to have walk around Huddersfield because it’s pretty much like

Halifax uh where I was the other day you know massive sort of well not massive but a Northern Industrial Town that’s seen a lot of change over the years so I’m just going to have a walk around the town center and get a feel for the

Place and uh while I’m at it can you uh can you please make sure you’re subscribed because I know a lot of you watching you’re not subscribed but if you do it really helps me because you know we’ll make a deal if you do that I’ll uh I’ll promise to keep trying

To make better and better videos so I we got a deal hit the Subscribe button so as we start look at that on that building 1853 lion Chambers you don’t see that these days do you on top of modern buildings and and every building sort of around this

Area is is an old Victorian sort of sandstone at the top of that beautiful I’d like to have a look at the uh the library an art gallery because that’s an interesting building it was like a 1930s art Decor uh I don’t think they’re using it anymore but we’ll go

And have a look there’s a lot of problems with hooders field because I read that the uh the kirlo council was facing bankruptcy they were 47 million in debt I think they’ve narly avoided it but of course the the way they do that is by cutting services important

Services like social services and and things and libraries and things like that you know I’m not necessarily having to go at them because we all know that the the fundings being CAU from central government due to austerity and how the money is allocated can be quite

Unfair and of course it was CO as well where we sort of paused the economy for two years so this is the open market but unfortunately it’s closed today oh they’re opening it just for me look that’s an old building how would you date that do you

Reckon how about that goes back maybe Victorian probably like rest of a lot of buildings so see if I can have a sneak inside you all right I’m just doing a a vlog on Huddersfield it’s a shame it’s shot is it today I pick wrong day I was just uh

Speaking to a chop outside the market he said tomorrow Saturday it’ll be rammed they have a secondhand market and every store’s taken so completely different but you’d have thought I mean Fridays they used to be good days didn’t they I don’t know if I mean completely wrong part of town but my initial

Feeling of hooders feeli it’s really I don’t know if my own sort of frame of mind has have any has any effect on it but it’s a real sort of Downer there a real sort of I want to say depressive but it’s quiet there’s no atmosphere so we got the

Church we’re going and have a look at that see what’s going on here for I must say that was a lovely Church really liked it there was only one person in and it was really warm and quiet and they’re advertising that they’re open for people to go in and

Have a drink and and have a warm was one lady that was just sat there uh resting really nice Church actually I’ve been I always go in a lot of churches and Cathedrals and that was quite a nice one I can’t believe for a Friday afternoon how quiet it is it’s dead what Dam Oh so that we’re all right pack house although it were D do nobody in but a lot of independent shops and they made some effort and the businesses were making an effort I just assume it must be uh busier on a Saturday we got a prime spot here so

This is obviously it’s a lot busier around here we got ala Fraser and next down bottom but this shop here is empty and is it any wonder I mean I’ve had a quick look on lighting and they wanted like 2,000 quid a month for shops right in this

Area that’ll probably be more cuz that’s quite a good spot I can hear somebody making some sort of speech so I’m going to go up this way and see what’s happening and he loves you he says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son he

Gave Jesus Christ for the world that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life he wants to give you life with the father he wants to protect you he wants to teach you many many things he wants to show you how to live in this world

Thank you bless thank you God bless you cannot believe of it’s going be I no enough to war you about hell trying to control people by fear talking about hell the face I’ve seen a few of these uh Merry England things what are these like CES I’ve seen two I’ve never seen

Them before but I’ve seen two here already and I am feeling a bit peckish I could go and have a look what do P what sort of food is they Busy Cafe I’ll come back to that I’ll have a wand around let’s keep going down here yeah I’m really interested in

Finding the uh the library I want to have a look at that cuz I don’t know what my opinion is going to be on it look at this this is one of those hideous 1960s atrocities those awful concrete buildings more empty shops of course you got whe Co which is empty closing down

There empty shot there it’s getting quiet again out this end so this area is very different impressing the Piaza but before we talk about the Pata I want to show you this and I want your opinions on that building that’s a 1930s library now and the Art Gallery obviously as it

Says and I think it’s uh got some good works of Ting or it did until the uh Clos date in 2020 for renovation but yet they’ve done nothing to it so it’s been like that what what’s your thoughts on that building so it looks like the council has tried to do

Something here and uh and even that shut down it’s what’s it say it’s farewell for now they’re preparing for the development of our cultural heart and it is a cultural heart around here because when you look at the history this around this area was a thriving sort of market area with streets

Called the shambles uh thriving markets pubs I’ll flash some photographs up and then they it was all demolished for this and now they’re talking about regenerating this so the weather pretty much sums up how I’m feeling about hooders feeli so far as you come around the back of that Pia

You’ve got this which is Queens Gate Market but how do you get in is it a thing does it I mean who’s designed that look at that that’s got to be 1960s a it 70s maybe I’ll go back up this way I think you’ve got the university down there

Uh it’s quite a a decent University apparently is Huddersfield I think you can study over 400 different courses and he he famously studied here didn’t he what’s his name Patrick Stewart rain’s coming down every now bloody out Lawrence Bley theater I’ve talked about Kirk Le’s Council and the possible bankruptcy and things like

That and it really feels like a town that’s really on its way down and it makes you worry about what’s going to happen in the future with all these wonderful old buildings you know if businesses aren’t going to want to rent these shops who’s going to maintain the

Buildings now it looks here like there’s another Shopping Center King’s gate let’s have a look in here let’s see if it’s any better I am yeah yeah it’s set by the curve you want to be on you not by the curve just go around towns yeah and just

Have a look by the curve are you from what you think of it it’s all right it’s all right it seems to bit it’s quiet it’s quiet is it is it always Saturday so you’ve got your big shops you got your TK marks JD Sports but then

We’ve got uh empty shop there that’ll be empty soon no doubt cuz they going to receiver ship Body Shop got a water STS there that’s normally a good thing is it so I’ve come out of the shopping center there seems to be some regeneration work here Kingsgate leure

So that’s probably going to be a gy and a hotel maybe you’ve got empty shops here so rather run down oh got weather spoons Lord Wilson I think there’s two weather spoons in Huddersfield all right I need to think about getting something to eat now what shall we

Have vegan cafe I’m not going there another unit a lot of units to to that I think it’s made like chicken shops and fast food places along here a lot of Chinese places another Chinese supermarket there I’ve got to say there’s a couple of Turkish Barbers on that street as well

And they were both really busy I think that all blows getting the haircuts for weekend is it right let’s go up here so we’ got another merry England there I want to go in and have a la have a sandwich think there’s a few of these in

ERS field I’ve never seen them before can have what you like sounds good to me there’s a few of your places I’ve never heard you before what is it it’s family room is it local to H field wellfield ands right okay yeah I go all over a country just not seen you many

Many years ago there were one in leads right that’s long Trinity Center were built yeah we stuff five in still did you and what’s happening how many have you got now uh three in town the drive through up out and first drive out but two in the market shut the

Market down they to go and how was field was it Yeah yeah it’s a bit sad isn’t it l w around today you think like when kid stars even back to shops back to 80s and I used to work with a shield market and stuff and it was absolutely thriving yeah they came from all over place by coaches just to go to

Market it’s like a lot of towns isn’t it I moved away to Northampton came back 10 years later and everything had gone my favorite jeans shop all the shoe shops everything gone what happened well they built the Kings gate that weren’t there when I moved away i’ a look in

There that was a lovely sandwich and a lovely cup of tea we’ve got lots of again old Victorian architecture but then when you look at the bottom rows uh it’s uh cheap shops in it takeaways ice cream shops see a lot of them don’t you it’s

All a bit rund down you’ve got cherry tree that’s a weather spoon it’s getting dark now it’s not where it very cloudy so here we have the town hall and as far as Town Halls go in these Northern towns that’s not such a grand one we can always see

Alvis I wonder if there’s a bigger entrance around there I wonder if that’s the back let’s go and have a look it’s a lot nicer from that from this side wonder if we can have a look it’s a town hall isn’t it see look at that picture there it

Looks very Grand inside I want to see if we can have a lot I bet that kicks some sound out doesn’t it it does on the where or recycles quite often on the Mondays as well we public come to quite a lot yeah you see we’ve got these beautiful

Buildings haven’t we and there’s a lot of people don’t even comeing and see them so when we got like Sarah migan on Jamie carow on this sells out I can’t imagine well it’s first time I’ve been on stage so this is what it feels like do a do a concert

Around the top of it yeah oh the Greek gods the the carins and look the trophies are ready for Miss Sunderland yeah for this Festival that we’ve got going on fantastic well that’s brilliant thank you very much for that appreciate that so we’ve got the Miss Sunderland competition the final tonight and when

It was saying Mrs Sunderland I’m thinking what like Miss Universe and it was a lady from around here called Mrs Sunderland and she was a famous singer so it’s like a singing competition and it’s from all schools and and clubs and things and they have this competition and it’s the finals and

Then he’s giv me some sheets with all an itinery and everything so yeah lovely building they do lots of standup music concerts and all sorts so yeah thanks again for showing me around mate if you’re watching and make the world go away de remember when you love Me before the world let here for me and make the world away make the world go away take it off my shoulders say the things you used to say and make the world go Away it’s a rather Splendid looking shop they a wimpy I’ve not seen one of them for ages yeah I’m just going to cross over so I can see that shot better yeah that’s a nice building again at Deco and it’s like a a traditional shop Frontage as well it really made some

Effort with that so I think the station is this way so I’m going to start heading back it’s starting to rain again it’s getting dark and I’ll give me verdicts onfield bearing in mind that when I did Bolton I think people said I were a little bit

Bit harsh so I don’t want to be harsh I mean it certainly was once a really beautiful town and I think like a lot of these Northern towns that are in between the major cities they tend to lose out on a lot of funding and that’s not the council’s fault it’s central

Government that seem to have far better things to spend money on than local councils because they’ve cut the funding for years now and then you’ve got towns that have to make up their funding from things such as uh council tax uh and obviously if it’s a a deprived area they’re not they’re not

Getting as much council tax money in it’s really coming down rain now so you know there’s obviously a lot of poverty around these towns so I don’t want to criticize it there’s a lot of small independent shops which is nice to see it just needs a lot of work and it is a

Big town so it’s hard to keep on top of it I realize placees never look as good in bad weather as well so I’m not going to be negative about it I could be but I’m not going to be look what we’ve got here uh Harold Wilson is it yeah Harold

Wilson and he was British prime minister twice I think in 60s and 70s was he a good prime minister I think he was from what I know I think he cared about people was he a socialist maybe so there famous hooders field person right let’s go and catch this

Train I’m not going to criticize for this feel I just need to come back on a nice sunny day on a busy day cuz it was very quiet as well I wonder if that’s one that goes to BS I bet it is it’s in it’s quite Early I better ask this chap here the 1603 trans penine Express this is ear well get onest Victoria now depart from platform like to be facing forward though I don’t want to be they’re all backed seats let going here at front platform one from the 1603 transp Express