![Struggles of 'levelling-up' plan epitomise UK Tory decline](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/e1/d4/9c/Struggles-of--levelling-up--plan-ep-961176.jpg)
-
France detains two filmmakers over sex abuse claims
-
Sinner comes through Wimbledon test to set up Berrettini clash
-
George joining 76ers, Thompson heading to Mavs in NBA free agency
-
France coach Deschamps savours reaching Euro 2024 quarter-finals
-
Coach Tedesco curses Belgium's luck after Euros exit to France
-
France star Kounde calls on voters to block far right in elections
-
Taliban told to 'include women' in public life at UN talks
-
NBA Celtics put up for sale two weeks after winning title
-
Gauff breezes into Wimbledon second round as rivals fall
-
NHL Predators land free agents Stamkos, Marchessault, Skjei
-
Games organisers will hope for peaceful reaction to French election: ex-IOC executive
-
Girmay gatecrashes 'father' Cavendish tilt at Tour history
-
France edge tense clash with Belgium to reach Euro 2024 quarter-finals
-
Nigeria weekend suicide bomb attack toll climbs to 32
-
England's Bland beats Japan's Fujita in playoff to win US Senior Open
-
Dan Ashworth joins Man Utd as sporting director
-
Girmay dedicates Tour de France stage win to Africa
-
George joins Embiid with 76ers as NBA free agency heats up: reports
-
Trump advisor Bannon reports to jail to serve sentence
-
Austria glory at Euro 2024 'not impossible', says Rangnick
-
Aboriginal ritual passed down over 12,000 years, cave find shows
-
England midfielder Barkley returns to Aston Villa
-
Osaka wins first match at Wimbledon since 2018
-
MLS St. Louis City dumps South Africa's Carnell as coach
-
Coe makes pre-Olympics visit to Ukraine to give athletes support
-
Powerful Hurricane Beryl slams into Caribbean island of Carriacou
-
Wawrinka, 39, makes flying start at Wimbledon
-
Eritrean Girmay wins Tour de France stage as Carapaz takes race lead
-
Alcaraz wins Wimbledon opener as Murray wants 'closure'
-
Nepal jails 'Buddha boy' for 10 years over child sex abuse
-
Moscow takes two more east Ukrainian villages
-
Supreme Court rules on Trump immunity, delaying trial
-
Rusty Alcaraz sees off qualifier in Wimbledon opener
-
Paqueta 'suffering' over betting allegations says new Hammers boss Lopetegui
-
Under-fire Dutch not hitting panic button, says Koeman
-
Bellingham's celebration gesture to be investigated by UEFA
-
No 'cold sweats' before Spain Euros showdown, says Germany's Raum
-
'Heartbroken' Sabalenka withdraws from Wimbledon
-
Pickford grateful to 'golden boy' Bellingham for sparing England's Euros blushes
-
Austrian Grand Prix - three things we learned
-
Alcaraz starts Wimbledon title defence as Murray wants 'closure'
-
European sprint champion Asher-Smith 'so happy' as she bids for Olympic gold
-
Anderson set to mentor England's quicks after Test exit
-
Hope for Mekong dolphins as Cambodia numbers increase: minister
-
France's far-right vote in figures
-
France detains two filmmakers over sexual abuse allegations
-
Israel strikes Gaza as militants claim rocket barrage
-
Meta risks fines over 'pay for privacy' model breaking EU rules
-
Williams takes spotlight as Spain power through to Euros quarters
-
Macron aims to thwart French far right in election runoff
![Struggles of 'levelling-up' plan epitomise UK Tory decline](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/e1/d4/9c/Struggles-of--levelling-up--plan-ep-961176.jpg)
Struggles of 'levelling-up' plan epitomise UK Tory decline
The UK Conservatives scored a thumping win in 2019 by promising to "level-up" struggling regions, but for voters in towns like Keighley, the flagship policy has been eclipsed by spiralling costs.
Keighley, a town in northern England of around 50,000 people, returned a Conservative MP, Robbie Moore, in 2019, but looks set to punish the ruling party at this year's election on July 4.
"It's definitely not going to be who's in power," pub worker Chris Ashworth, 40, told AFP when asked who he would vote for.
He voted Conservative in 2019, but will ditch them this year because "everything is just so much more expensive and NHS (National Health Service) wait times are huge," he added.
Such anger is widespread across the region, and Labour candidate John Grogan is expected to be the beneficiary.
"The number one issue is poverty and all that goes with it," said Grogan from his campaign office.
"Life can be quite hard in Keighley. There is so much talent that goes to waste in this town."
After the 2019 result, incoming prime minister Boris Johnson pledged to repay the trust put in his Conservatives by voters in traditionally Labour-supporting regions such as Yorkshire, where Keighley is located.
His flagship "levelling-up" policy funnelled funds to these areas, ravaged by the decline of heavy industry.
But the pandemic and war in Ukraine triggered a price surge that has affected every level of the community.
- 'Empty town' -
The town's Salvation Army centre is at the front line of the cost-of-living crisis, running a weekly food bank.
"We've seen an immense growth spurt" in demand, said Imogen Stewart, a minister at the Salvation Army church, in front of trolleys of food parcels ready to be handed out.
"From a year ago, when we were just giving out 40 a week, now we give out 60 per week."
"Without places like this, everyone would struggle," said food bank user Shaun Broom, 30, who was laid off six weeks ago.
It is not just individuals but the community as a whole that has suffered, said stay-at-home mother Alannah Hodgson, 31.
"Shops are shutting down, left, right and centre. It's just an empty town."
Despite the bleak outlook, she is one of the few actually switching her vote to the Conservatives this year.
"Even though I don't particularly want Conservatives in government, I do want Robbie Moore to stay," she said outside the town centre shopping centre.
Business owners have had to deal with the twin pressures of cash-strapped customers and rising costs.
These include Stefania Risidi, who runs award-winning hair salon "Hairavanti", an institution in central Keighley for 44 years.
Hit by a 30-percent hike in rents, she was forced to move her salon to a quiet arcade.
"It's really heartbreaking to leave the place," she said. "Where we are at the moment, there is zero passing trade."
All of which has created a sense of decline and despair in the town -- exactly the problem that levelling-up was supposed to remedy.
- Funds boost -
Moore was still keen to trumpet the fact that the town has received tens of millions of pounds in levelling-up funds.
"I want to build on the great work that I've been doing as the MP... in securing over £80 million ($101 million) of investment," he said from the picturesque hills overlooking Keighley.
One beneficiary has been Keighley Creative, a charity whose purpose is to "increase the amount of artistic activity that's going on in the town," according to executive director Riaz Meer.
"It will make a huge difference," Meer said of the £2.6 million in funding it will receive, in the small cinema inside the charity's temporary headquarters.
"We can do a lot here in our current premises, but we'll be able to do so much more in a purpose-built building.
"So yes, it's going to allow us to really be a beacon in the centre of the town."
Highlighting the charity's role in the community is Jonathan Britten, a 48-year-old who gave up his job as a bricklayer to become a painter.
"I downed tools... and I just picked up the paint brushes and made a start. I've not looked back since," he said from his studio inside Keighley Creative, adding that his work helped him deal with long-term mental health issues.
"I think a lot of people here, the other studios, they're really happy with their choice as well."
Out on the street, however, most were unaware that the town had even received funding.
"What levelling-up?" asked Hodgson. "I've heard of levelling-up, but I haven't seen it in Keighley."
E.Paulino--PC