My town has really changed

[CatbellsOnTheSeashore]

In a confusing and not very pleasant way.

It was gradually changing for the worse before covid, but the pandemic seemed to accelerate it, and I am wondering if anyone else has noticed anything like this.

It became more insular whilst more populated, the population increased quite a bit over the past 5 yrs. More and more dereliction, low council maintenance and an influx of troubled people housed around the town centre, which is now a no-go zone. Areas surrounding have steadily grown worse also, as it seems to be spilling out.

What does feel really different is that there are now lots of groups of men, hanging around drinking or sat on pavements together (not begging). Drugs took over the local nature paths and canal walks so now there are large groups of people out of their heads lying on old sofas at the locks, it's really grim. Women who used to cycle and run in these areas have more or less moved elsewhere or stopped.

More and more standard sized houses in low to middle income areas are becoming HMO's, yet with poor refuse organisation and not enough parking. I'm not exaggerating when I say there are literally trails of dog shit in the streets in many areas, too, which pretty much hangs in the air and the place stinks. That, and skunk.

We live in a decent part of town but it is coming closer, and I only have that perk due to inheriting my parents bungalow. More and more people are moving out.

On a walk to Sainsbury's yesterday two guys were holding onto a sign pole hovering over a bin. As I passed by one of them vomited into the bin and then spat/gobbed an inch from my feet - he didn't notice me particularly, but it was quite sudden or I'd have given them a wide berth.
This isn't unusual now.

I know people usually blame the cost of living and covid, etc, but this was definitely on the rise before. There is far more noise pollution as more buildings go up, usually industrial, and the roads are a nightmare. Infrastructure for actual people is decreasing.
That said, I don't think most of these people were thriving before, so it isn't a sudden change. It is as if a new kind of culture is growing, that doesn't care a damn about anything. Everything is vandalised or shat on. More and more windows are broken in properties close to the town centre, and I doubt most of these people were thriving before the pandemic hit.

Is this bad luck or is anything like it happening elsewhere?
We are definitely looking to move away.

You’re Dad sounds like he led an incredibly interesting life, thanks for sharing- I had no idea about this and it’s led me to want to find out more.

I think the internet has a lot to answer for, the amount of kids I’ve heard say something is x dollars - there seems a greater awareness of American politics than our own etc.

However, it's simply misleading to imply that we have 'lost out' on EU grants for regeneration projects, because all the EU ever did was take our money then give us small amounts of it back, telling us exactly what we could spend it on.

Not really. The fact that the UK was a nett payer-in doesn't mean that some areas (like the North of England) might have been better off in the EU.

The north has NEVER been better off for being in the EU, all things considered. Hence why almost everyone in the north voted to leave.

I live near to Bournemouth and I very rarely go into Bournemouth now. I don’t like the underlying unpleasant feel.
I walked down one of the main streets with our DD (age 14) and some of her friends, I was very aware of the number of men hanging around in shop doorways,watching the young girls .
Our eldest DS works occasionally in the local Bournemouth college, over the Summer he was mugged , waiting at a bus stop
I think most towns are struggling, all so depressing ….

Often homeless people use phones etc to find rooms in hostels etc. I wouldn’t begrudge a homeless person anything that can improve their lives at all. It’s disgusting that anyone has to be on the street in this country - absolutely disgusting. Why are these people on the street yet we can find £41k to keep someone from another country fed and watered in a hotel.

In what way did the North of England benefit from EU money?

Grants, obviously.

I remember seeing some figures about Cornwall, actually, and the money they'd had from the EU, which dwarfed the amount of money the government was allocating to them.

I’ve spent my whole life living in Wigan. I am well travelled though, and honestly, I don’t believe it is any worse than other northern towns that it borders. Indeed probably no worse than many places in the uk as a whole.

I am actually fed up of the negativity surrounding the regeneration of the town centre. Yes, it’s currently devoid of life, but when it’s undergoing a wholesale change, that’s to be expected for a while. The plans are ambitious and actually what many town centres actually need. There needs to be acceptance that the old high street is dead now, a town centre cannot survive let alone thrive on that business model. I love to hark back to my youthful Saturdays spent in the town centre shopping. Late night Thursday shopping at Christmas was a real treat. But this no longer is the way we live and people saying the centre is dead because there are no shops are living in cuckoo land. The town centre died long before the shops left.

i live in the north of the borough and we have a thriving community and house prices have risen ridiculously since Covid indicating that, contrary to popular belief, this isn’t in fact one of the worst places to live in the country.

yes, there’s poverty, deprivation and areas that are not especially desirable. But there are everywhere. I believe that once the regeneration is complete the town centre will also be cleaned up. I am ambitious for Wigan and its future.

Imported desperation doesn't benefit those already at the bottom here, many of whom will be via previous waves of immigration. Multi povertyism + multiculturalism isn't shaping up to end well. I want everyone everywhere to thrive and wish there was some way of it happening.

It's such a typical Remainer attitude, isn;t it? 30 years of housing shortages, massive pressure on public services, sky high rents, undercutting of commercial contracts from the poorer EU countries and suppressed wages since freedom of movement in 1992 changed our country forever. And all they can say is 'yes we know you live in some post-industrial wasteland where it's impossible to get a council house and local employers would rather go on recruitment drives to Latvia or the Balkans than to pay a proper wage to British people, and yes okay so there are some Roma ghettos where people operate professional begging gangs and set light to mattresses in the street, but look! You've got an EU grant to re-wallpaper your foodbank and build an LGBTQ+ community centre. Where on earth would you be without the EU?

None of the things you're complaining about were caused by being in the EU.

Given the state the country is in right now (five years after Brexit) it's very strange that people still think Brexit has been in any way good. Haven't even got lower immigration!

Its common in some circles to 'blame' the relatively warm welcome afforded Ukrainians on racism, but actually I think its more to do with the Ukrainian influx consisting overwhelmingly of women & children.

The UK is a dumping ground.

Bolton used to have a tight-knit community, it has gone to rot !

Farnworth is unbelievable!!!

We are living in a take take culture.
I see it every day at work !

Scavengers conning the system, that take money from the needy because they know how to work the system.

Genuine families going without because con artists are funded 1st.

A blind pensioner on a low income who has paid & worked , not helped with travel expenses to hospital appointments BUT a lazy never worked given a taxi for the school run......... ariving in pyjamas or designer clothes ....

Why ? Because they can !

Is it men that are the problem? We are clearly more tolerant of female immigrants and it’s not generally gangs of women causing people to feel unsafe in town centres.

And is this why so many (often) white males are struggling to find their place in the big scheme of things?

And did these grants outweigh costs?

You are aware Cornwall isn’t in the North of England. Or are you in the group of mumsnetters who think in terms of London and not London?

Lack of fact rather than matter of fact.
People in limbo can't earn = gov problem
More taxes are collected than benefits spent - documented fact.
Logistical problems concerning schools, NHS & police = gov problem.
Were having fewer kids in general so actually need some youth tax wise. Obviously any criminals can be returned - Hell for the home grown violent crims I'd be happy for a floating prison in the North Sea to be their home.

Agree with you completely.. the main way to get yourself out of poverty is through education to obtain a decent job… education is free in this country however a lot of the underclass do not value education, their children do not go or if they do go they are disruptive and take no active part in learning. It’s a poverty of the mind and work ethic, not bank accounts.

I'm aware that Cornwall is an area with considerable poverty, and comparably to (and worse than some) areas of Northern England, yes. I am not a Londoner. Not that that has anything to do with it.

Our town isn’t quite as bad as yours but we have had a big increase in population and crime. There are two hotels housing asylum seekers and one of them actually has had to move them out from there because one of the men staying there attacked and killed a women at the train station opposite and there were people outside the hotel protesting and causing trouble because everyone knew someone staying in the hotel had done it. There are now more asylum seekers back in it as there’s nowhere else to put them. This is just down the road from where I live and next to the venue I had my wedding reception. My MIL is banned by all of us from going that way on the bus or walking (she can’t drive and lives on the other side of our estate) on her own without my husband or BIL or me or my FIL driving her. It’s just not safe

@Vynalbob yep - I get totally that there are issues but get fed up of the same people feeling the need to blame everything on immigrants -yes there are issues amongst 'some ' of the immigrant population but there are also big issues amongst 'mainly ' white British working class ( and mainly male ) too - and not always young either- a lot of people out there with bugger all standards , taking kids off school all the time because they can't be arsed to get them there, crap on their gardens and drives never gets sorted etc - this has nothing to do with poverty- it's a can't be arsed and entitled mentality -,I remember when we lived in north London and they built a few nice 3 bed town houses within a pretty nice area as social housing - within 9 months 3 out the 5 houses had weeds up to your armpits- rubbish in front garden - just a mess - and this was 100% white British occupants. So let's call it as it is - a 100% of the population give not a crap about others or their environment - of 'all' colours and creeds

Not 100 % of population - a percentage!! lol