Coogan, Burnham and the fight to revive Middleton: could it be grist to the mill for struggling British towns?

<p>Turnaround initiated by the now prime minister and led by the actor could provide blueprint for other neglected areas</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/22/save-high-street-tax-online-sales-burnham-urged">Save high street by taxing online sales at higher rate, Burnham urged</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/22/what-makes-a-good-town-five-key-ingredients">What makes a good town? Here are five key ingredients</a></p></li></ul><p>The former England footballer Paul Scholes and the actor Steve Coogan stare out from beside a fish and chip shop in Middleton, near <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/manchester">Manchester</a>. Looming over a mural of the pair – and the whole town – is an enormous former cotton mill that powered its economy a century ago.</p><p>The deafening looms and spindles of Warwick Mill fell silent decades ago, replaced in recent years by TikTok “urban explorers” who share videos of themselves crawling through its abandoned shell.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/oct/22/middleton-revival-mill-towns-steve-coogan-manchester">Continue reading...</a>