economist urges Scunthorpe to Embrace “Doing Shit” as Steel Industry Declines
Scunthorpe, UK – A leading growth economist, returning to the heart of post-industrial britain, is challenging residents of Scunthorpe to forge a new economic future beyond the town’s fading steel industry. Dr.Charles Collier, who grew up in the steel city of Sheffield, delivered a blunt assessment of the current job market – “crap jobs, warehouse jobs in Amazon, that sort of rubbish” – during a recent community meeting, sparking a call for bold action and entrepreneurial spirit.
Collier, working with the local initiative “Scunthorpe Tomorrow,” is advocating for the immediate repurposing of disused portions of the town’s steelworks into a business park for local entrepreneurs. “Rather of drinking one cup of coffee extra a month for the next ten years, clear that site,” he urged attendees, emphasizing the need to leverage “your own brilliant talent.” His urgency stems from a stark reality: the steel company’s impending closure and limited government funding to sustain it.
The economist’s message resonated with those present, shifting the meeting towards a more proactive tone. Jonathan Frary, a Scunthorpe resident and founder of sporting-events business Curly’s Athletes, who previously spent seven years in HR in London, echoed Collier’s sentiment. Frary, who found it challenging to discuss his hometown positively while living away, now champions a forward-looking approach. He described Collier’s consistent message as, “You can’t rely on what you already know.”
Frary, channeling Collier’s directness, encouraged residents to “make a start.Doesn’t have to be right.Doesn’t have to be a project… It’s a journey.Just do something and find other people that are passionate about doing it. So, go do shit.”
Collier’s personal connection to the struggles of steel towns runs deep. He rose from humble beginnings – his parents, who ran a butcher’s shop in Sheffield, left school at age twelve – to attend Oxford University. He has witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of industrial decline, noting that employment in the British steel industry shrank by ninety per cent between 1970 and last year. His own family experienced this hardship, with a “bimodal” outcome: success for some, and “total disasters” for others.
This experience is further underscored by Collier and his wife, Pauline, becoming guardians to their young relatives from Sheffield in 2008, after the children were removed from their parents due to emotional trauma stemming from the region’s economic hardship. Collier recalled taking the children, then nearly two and three years old, who were “already totally emotionally traumatized.”
The call to action in Scunthorpe represents a broader challenge facing post-industrial communities across the UK, demanding a shift from reliance on traditional industries to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in an uncertain economic landscape.Collier’s return to the region, and his willingness to confront uncomfortable truths, signals a renewed focus on finding lasting solutions for towns grappling with the decline of their industrial past.