A welcome return for my old mate Molly with some thoughts post a recent visit to Bradford city centre.
At my age a haircut is a necessity and not a fashion statement; I’m just lucky that at nearly 58 I’ve got all my own hair. Last Saturday morning it was time to visit my usual barber on James Gate in the area now known as the Top of Town.
I always like to get in the chair early so parked up in Forster Square retail park at 8.30. As I walked past the arches at the rear of the tax office and Midland Hotel, the smell of urine was overpowering.
A steady trickle ran down towards the sculpture at the bottom with telltale splashbacks in evidence on the retaining wall with Manor Row. Most of the arches had rubbish strewn around no doubt also attracting vermin to the area.
As I continued up Manor Row, the large wheelie bins up on School Street by the old Manor Wine Bar were overflowing and by the looks of the overspill had been for quite some time, again a rats idea of heaven.
Sadly there was also evidence of “pavement pizzas” and that smell again which suggested that a few of the doorways had been used as makeshift public conveniences. What was not that long ago the hub of a superb Bradford night scene is now filthy stinking and on its uppers.
It was certainly an eye opener.
I wonder if the well-remunerated Chief Executive of Bradford Metropolitan Council, her Executive Team of Portfolio Holders, and the numerous sycophantic quango-type bodies like Bradford BID see this rapid deterioration and the general squalor.
With the exciting Bradford Live due to open in the coming months along with the prospect of Bradford’s City of Culture 2025 title, this will attract many thousands of visitors to the city.
In recent years we have had a constant bombardment of slickly presented PR announcements by the Council Leader and her Portfolio Holders ably backed up with artistic impressions and consultants’ reports (lord knows the cost to the ratepayer of these reports).
These have boasted about grand promises of a new railway station; a market that is arising from the ruins of the old Marks & Spencer building on Darley Street; of pocket parks and the supposed jewel in the crown, One City Park, a £35m office block being built on the site of the old police headquarters.
This is a controversial decision to say the least in awarding funding from the public purse when the office dynamic has changed forever. Despite a huge social media presence there still awaits the news of a key mark tenant so it’s a gamble of extraordinary proportions.
All the majority of Bradfordians ask for is a safe and clean city where they can happily go about their business; the very least our Council can do is afford them that basic courtesy.
It saddens me to write this as it does little to sway me away from my long-held belief that the city of my birth is broken beyond repair, a pale shadow of its vibrant bustling self.
I emailed Kersten England and await her response with interest.
Keith Brown says
Well said Martin, unfortunately the city and it’s surroundings have been in decline for many years now. I doubt it well ever be as it was 30 or 40 years ago. Too many taking out of the pot, than giving to the City. But TBF is any longer a City worth investigating in. It was been allowed to be run down and when development does take place it rarely makes any sense or even offers the vibe that our neighbours in Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester are able to.