I grew up in a former coal mining town in the Midlands and, while I wouldn’t say life was bad – my family was fairly comfortable and certainly never in poverty – the area itself had the air of decline.

Many shops and pubs have closed over the years, leaving large parts of the centre boarded up for extended periods. Public transport connections have always seemed a huge problem, with no train link and an infrequent bus service that leaves the nearest city an hour’s ride away.

I left years ago, seeking opportunity and excitement – like many of my peers – in a university city, and then later in London’s thriving jobs market. But my affection for my home town remains, mixed in with a real sense of frustration at decades of under investment in the people who live there and the places in which they live.