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Visit almost any town in Britain and the picture is the same. High streets are struggling, pubs and post offices are closing and jobs are going.

Our proud towns were once the engine of British industry, but for decades they have been shamefully neglected as investment has gone into nearby cities.

Decades ago young people flocked to towns to find work in mines, mills and factories, but as they shut the Thatcher Government did nothing to replace them and towns have fallen behind.

The young have left their home towns in growing numbers, taking with them the cash that fuels high streets, pubs, clubs and cinemas.

Families now live hundreds of miles from each other and loneliness is rife.

(Image: Daily Mirror)

Town football and rugby clubs are debt-ridden and in crisis, while historic buildings are boarded-up and falling apart.

Austerity has turbo-charged the decline with record numbers of libraries and Sure Start centres closing as councils struggle with huge cuts. Our towns deserve better. That’s why I back the Mirror’s campaign to give them the power, money and attention they deserve.

It should shock us that the Arts Council spends £8 in Islington for every £1 they spend in all the former coalfield communities in Britain.

The Government has admitted more must be spent on transport, but while cities will benefit, people in towns will be left stranded.

From some parts of Wigan, it takes nearly as long to travel 24 miles to work in Birkenhead as it does to go 176 miles to London.

We need fair funding for buses and trains, better broadband and wi-fi and investment in our young people, so businesses invest in towns again. Most of all we need power to decide how money is spent.

Who really thinks HS2 is a bigger priority than crumbling local trains and unreliable, pricey buses millions use?

With vision, we could transform our towns and build an economy that works for all of Britain.

With most marginal seats now in towns, Government must listen – or pay at the ballot box.