‘We didn’t get a single pound’: anger in Barnsley at broken Tory promises

Successful bids for levelling up money will be revealed alongside the autumn statement on Thursday, but scepticism about the policy is high in the northern town

Behind its imposing town hall lies a 19th-century stone building that many in Barnsley believe points the way to a brighter future.

Soon, it could be home for a youth choir that has beaten all the odds to become one of the best in the world. More broadly, the hope is that by delivering a permanent base for its 560 young performers it will serve as a catalyst for greater ambitions and inject confidence in a town struggling to transcend its post-industrial malaise. A third of Barnsley's children live in poverty.