SIR Steve Houghton is determined to rebuild Barnsley's town centre.
The 55-year-old, who has been the council's leader for nearly 18 years of Labour's long rule, says he's incredibly frustrated that his ambition to see the town centre rebuilt has been thwarted by the financial collapse of the late 2000s.
"We have a town centre which was well past its best years ago," he said. "It needs to be replaced.
"The plans are in place, there are people willing to do the work and businesses are prepared to come to the rebuilt town centre.
"We have not given up, we cannot give up and we will never give up because we have got to rebuild the town centre."
He believes we will end up with a different looking town centre because of online shopping. He sees a mix of galleries, museums, a cinema, a library and a smaller set of shops.
What would you do with the town centre? Which shops would entice you to shop local? Have your say below.
