Prescot hits back: Lancashire town US journalist brands ‘casualty of austerity’
MERSEYFIRE.GOV/PRESSCOTMUSEUM.ORG An American journalist branded a UK town as a 'casualty of austerity’
Peter S. Goodman painted a bleak picture of the town of Prescot when he described the leisure centre as “razed”, the police station being “shuttered” and said the local museum had “receded into town history”. Writing for the New York Times, he says how the local government “desperately seeks to turn assets into cash and a lush park in the centre of town may be doomed”. Locals have slammed the journalist and say that the local services are open and Prescot is “on the up”. The New York Times Europe economics correspondent claimed Britain was starting to look more like the US because of its shrinking welfare state and growing poverty.
One person who challenged the article is economics expert Christopher Snowden. He tweeted: “I haven’t got past the first two paragraphs of this NYT article about British ‘austerity’ but I’m already getting a strong smell of b******t.” Mr Snowdon goes on to reveal there is a brand new police station, that the museum moved to a new location six years ago and the leisure centre is fully open with two swimming pools. Mr Goodman responded on Twitter defending his article saying: “Note that this is a consolidation. Moreover, people in the village feel a loss. If you want to argue with them, that’s fine, but it’s a widespread perception in Prescot.”
ACTIVEKNOWSLEY.COM This is the leisure centre the journalist said was closed
GOOGLE MAPS This is this the library that was reportedly closed
He added: “Your beef is with the Prescot residents who feel they have lost services. (The people you have not visited in a quarter century).” Mr Snowdon quipped back: “My “beef” is with claims that are either deeply misleading or outright lies, of which there are five in your first two paragraphs.” Other Twitter users responded to Mr Goodman’s article he tweeted himself citing that there was a new fire and police station and that the library is open. David Parry, @davidparry100, tweeted: “I think the new station is relevant to the article don’t you? The implication is that there isn’t police cover in Prescot anymore when actually the situation is more nuanced.”
TWITTER One man challenged the article
The local paper even weighed in and published an article titled Why Prescot Is on the Up yesterday. The newspaper describes how the first free-standing theatre outside London is being built in their town. It says: “Liverpool John Moores University will offer a master’s degree on the site, specialising in Shakespearean acting technique. It will be the only programme of its kind in the UK.” The article tells how the annual Prescot Festival will bring “tourists flocking and investors too”.
TWITTER Local media even hit back