<p>Turnaround initiated by Andy Burnham and led by Steve Coogan could provide blueprint for other neglected areas</p><p>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/22/save-high-street-tax-online-sales-burnham-urged">Save high street by creating ‘level playing field’ with online rivals, Burnham urged</a></p><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>