IN response to Catty 50’s negative comments about Nelson, local retailers, Nelson and Colne College, Pendle Council and many other organisations are pulling their weight to improve the town.

New funding schemes like investment from Mary Portas are helping to make a difference and have brought a strong Town Team together. This ongoing work comes on top of millions of pounds of European funding to make the town more attractive.

The main road has been reopened with a tree-lined boulevard for pedestrians and a new amphitheatre for events. Thanks to all this, new shops have opened and the number of empty shops is going down, a key aim of the Mary Portas funding.

But Nelson is a work in progress and no town is completely free of crime. We were very sorry to hear about the distressing experience of Catty 50’s elderly aunt who had her bag stolen. It’s obvious that this will give her and her family a very different perspective on Nelson.

Fortunately, very few people are subjected to this kind of theft. Crime in Nelson has decreased significantly over recent years and is no worse than in other comparable towns.

We work with the police and retailers to help create a safer environment using CCTV, a shop radio scheme and regular police patrols.

The night-time economy which Catty 50’s talks about can be a mixed blessing. Pubs and clubs can sometimes bring anti-social behaviour and night-time noise. Luckily in Nelson we have an excellent Arts, Culture and Entertainment (ACE) centre) which draws people into town in the evening for theatre performances, live music and comedy.

There are lots of good reasons to come into Nelson and we’ll continue to make improvements.

These include the new centre for students which has just opened, bringing more young people into the heart of town.

Councillor Joe Cooney, Leader of Pendle Council.