The dirt, litter, and chewing gum on pavements, the vomitting etc... is getting worse in town

[nosey]

I never seen it so bad. It is ridiculous.

The council has clearly stopped all cleaning services,and decided to remove every single bin in town.
Let alone the fact that arndale is now becoming a dump, more retail units to let and those constant eyesores. The litter, the dirt really just now the one thing that sums up town- a dump. Even I took a dump in the middle of picadilly garden, the shit would not look out of place.


It is becoming ridiculous. Something has to be done.

I swear even Pendleton Precint is cleaner than town..

The solution is simple:

Posters humiliating the idiots.
Bring back cleaning services and pay them a decent wage for their hard work.
Pressure washers and other cleaning products
Install bins, (you know those big black round things where put your litter in)

[Cobbydaler]

Most of what you perceive as chewing gum is in fact a lichen, Lecanora Muralis:

http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/chewing-gum-lichen

I agree with the rest of your points. It's MCC making a political point by reducing high visibility services while still spending £425,000 on a free concert in the Cathedral...

[VDB]

Put a tax on chewing gum and other disposable items which are sold in the city centre. Use the tax money to sweep the streets, provide new bins, EMPTY THOSE BINS and keep the city tidy!

I agree, in places Manchester is a complete dump. Piccadilly Gardens up to where High St crosses Market St in particular

[nosey]

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

Most of what you perceive as chewing gum is in fact a lichen, Lecanora Muralis:

http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/chewing-gum-lichen

I agree with the rest of your points. It's MCC making a political point by reducing high visibility services while still spending £425,000 on a free concert in the Cathedral...

I can understand the attraction of holding an Alicia Keys concert in the Cathedral in that it will bring in money.

It is fustrating. I never seen get as worse as it is now. It is horrible. How did it get this far?

Although I never worked for MCC, I have worked once in another Gtr Mcr council and I know that money is being wasted. I know that front line services will be affected by the cuts (which I don't agree with) but to allow town to get dirty to make a political point is petty .

Is Pat Kearney's house as dirty?

[nosey]

Originally Posted by VDB

Put a tax on chewing gum and other disposable items which are sold in the city centre. Use the tax money to sweep the streets, provide new bins, EMPTY THOSE BINS and keep the city tidy!

I agree, in places Manchester is a complete dump. Piccadilly Gardens up to where High St crosses Market St in particular

Oxford Rd, Wimmy Rd, Norther Quarter, Deansgate, the whole town is need of help.

I agree Market St is the worst.

What ever it take to get town clean, I am up for it. I agree with you.

I know people's attitudes needs changing so perhaps humiliating them is one way by publicizing them. I popped into town today and left shocked with the dirt. How did it get this worse?



The non-existent bins, the overflowing bins, the non-existent cleaners, are huge factors.

[VDB]

Council have no money, simple as. Cuts have hit our Labour council hard

[Cobbydaler]

Originally Posted by VDB

Council have no money, simple as. Cuts have hit our Labour council hard

But the money they do have, they have a choice where to spend it!

OK, spend £425k on an Alicia Keys concert to publicise Manchester & attract people. When they get here the place is a shit hole! What's the sense in that?

The free event for 1,000 fans – including 250 M.E.N. competition winners – included complimentary drinks for VIPs and a VIP reception at Harvey Nichols.

Link

[nosey]

Originally Posted by VDB

Council have no money, simple as. Cuts have hit our Labour council hard

I don't agree with the cuts at all. I know how severe they are.

I understand the cuts will affect local councils but they can make savings which won't affect front line service to a degree.
MCC can afford to clean all of town. They do have the financial muscle to do this.

I remember reading an article where a guy had continuously complained to MCC that his street needed a clean up. They ignored him until he said that he will bring legal action. I think it is time for a campaign to bring legal action against MCC so they can get their act together to start cleaning town.

[VDB]

Well the cuts wouldn't matter anyway if the council put a tax on all food, drink and chewing gum with disposable packaging sold in the city centre.

I'd be happy to pay it just to see Market St and all nice and clean.

[NQ Lee]

I have made my thoughts on this subject clear before. I actually moved out of flat in town due in large part to the litter and general filth that was surrounding my home. Manchester has a huge problem with litter.

[js1000]

I don't think litter is that bad a problem. The lichen/chewing gum on the pavement is horrible though.

[future.architect]

I think Manchester has lost it's way and is long overdue a change in leadership. Unfortunately since it is one of the safest labour councils in the land, I can't see it happening before it is too late.

[UK86]

I have to say, streets outside the city centre are much cleaner. I have personally stopped going to the city centre as much because it feels so vermin ridden at times. At least the Trafford Centre has cleaning services regularly, besides them being a private property. The council have made a mistake cutting so much cleaning, it'll make the city's international impression bad. City's in Africa are probably healthier to walk around.

[UK86]

Cities *

[nosey]

Originally Posted by UK86

I have to say, streets outside the city centre are much cleaner. I have personally stopped going to the city centre as much because it feels so vermin ridden at times. At least the Trafford Centre has cleaning services regularly, besides them being a private property. The council have made a mistake cutting so much cleaning, it'll make the city's international impression bad. City's in Africa are probably healthier to walk around.

I much prefer shopping in the trafford centre due to the fact that it is cleaner.
Town has gotten worse, yesterday when I went, I never seen it so so so so bad. It has gone beyond ridiculous. I wonder if any of the councillors have actually set foot in town and seen the mess.

There are cities in Africa that are cleaner and that is true. In fact there are slums in Asia that cleaner than town and I am not even kidding. It is true, there are slums that are vastly cleaner than town.

I have no idea why MCC has decided to cut cleaning services (the budget cut excuse does not work). I have emailed the MEN in the past and still awaiting their response. So far none, I am not sure why.

Yes, it has left many visitors with very bad impressions of the city. In fact I would not even be surprised if visitors have badmouthed the city and vowed to never to return. If I was a visitor, I would not bother with Manchester after yesterday's visit.

[Nathan Dawz]

What choice does the council have? All Northern cities have had their budgets massively cut. It's very easy to criticise the council, but when funding is being decimated I don't see what choice they have.

Joe Anderson said before on the Sunday Politics that he expects services in Liverpool to significantly deteriorate. It won't be any different here.

[nosey]

Originally Posted by Nathan Dawz

What choice does the council have? All Northern cities have had their budgets massively cut. It's very easy to criticise the council, but when funding is being decimated I don't see what choice they have.

Joe Anderson said before on the Sunday Politics that he expects services in Liverpool to significantly deteriorate. It won't be any different here.

Joe Anderson is right on many fronts. I agree the cuts will be severe and front line services will not be the same.
But, MCC, likewise with other councils in the North can afford to ensure their city centre or town centre are kept clean.
Yes, MCC can make sure that the whole of the city centre from Wimmy Rd, to Deansgate, to NQ and so on... are kept clean.

If the cuts are that "severe" and that "bad", then perhaps the North should push for devolution. There is always a choice. You don't allow Westminster to dictate terms.

All I want is town to be kept clean. The current state of town is disgusting.

[link_road_17/7]

Go to Albert Square. It is always spotless outside the town hall.

As for all this bollocks about the 'cuts'. Even during the 'boom' years under Labour the city centre was a filthy, stinking mess.

I knew one MCC Councillor who had a burnt out car less than a few hundred yards from her expensive flat, but was so blind she failed to notice it for weeks. On the opposite side was a yard being used as a landfill/refuse facility without an appropriate licence.

These people either choose to ignore it or are so incompetent they fail to see the reality of it.

It also goes to show that CityCo still aren't doing their job properly either.

Manchester Civic Society and the Central Manchester Development Corporation must be turning in their graves.

Also, if I see a piece of litter, I see it as my civic and human duty to pick it up and put it in the bin.

[UK86]

Part of the problem of littering is the attitudes of people, you get some that actually think its okay to do it. When one can see another with a lack of morales, the other who has not got much of a brain follows suit. Very sad but true, attitudes of some must change but its no excuse for the council not to pull their weight.

I found a whole McDonald's bag on the street outside my house the other day, I was truly disgusted. But what do you expect from scumbags with zero knowledge about life in general eh!

[LongRipple]

Based on dubious London set property valuations, city centre residents pay one of the highest council taxes in the country; far higher than any London Borough and on a par the residents of Hertfordshire. Given that most properties are rarely more than 2 beds it is disgraceful to claim there just isn’t the money for basic services like street cleaning especially around the pockets of residential housing.

In 1996 when the bomb went off there were reportedly less than 2000 people living in the city (most of it in social housing exempt from council tax), now there are over 12,000 living in the city alone, not including the developments on the periphery, paying around £1326.99 a year (band D or average apartment value) - quite an upsurge in income for MCC that should be targeted at improving the aspects for those in the city rather.

Unfortunately the “multi-use” direction of development taken by the council- developing one carpark after another- and their continual opening up of “investment opportunities” before one acreage has been completed means too little actual sustainable community existing within the city centre to take part in the politics of the city or engender the sense of community pride that keeps neighbourhoods clean.

A 13% turnout in local elections means there is little necessity for the politicians to address the concerns of those who pay those taxes and they probably delight in that statistic.