To think our towns and cities are just so run down lately, and our standard of living has decreased significantly?

[blahhhhg]

I don't know if I'm just feeling a bit down and bitter lately but I just feel like lately our country seems to have gotten very run down. I went out into town today and couldn't help but notice how grotty and rundown everything looks. Litter everywhere, security guards everywhere - in nearly every clothing shop there is security on the door now, security wandering up and down the high street. It makes you feel really unsafe but they must be there for a reason now? Shops are dirty; filthy floors and used Starbucks cups just left off the shelf for some poor worker to clean up. Clothes for sale that are covered in makeup stains. I just found it really depressing. It's just not one town either, I've noticed it nearly everywhere I've been. I'm in my late 20s so it's not like I've had decades of life experience to draw from and I have a rose-tinted view of yesteryear, but it seems that in the last 5ish years things have really declined.

Personally I love going to work and paying taxes so that people who don't speak a word of English/ have an active hatred of British culture can be ushered into private lets at my expense. So rewarding. I don't even care that I can barely afford the very basics because it's all so worth it.

"The UK is in the process of a major demographic shift as its population ages. Thirty years ago, only 1.6% of the population was aged 85 years and over, but by 2020 this had risen to 2.5%, equivalent to 1.7 million people. This trend is predicted to continue with the Office for National Statistics forecasting that by 2045, 4.3% of the population will be aged 85 years and over. This is equivalent to an almost doubling of the number of elderly people over the next two decades, driven both by increases in life expectancy and the ageing of baby boomers born in the 1960s."

@Veronay I'm not the thick one...

Hello Nigel!

I read Bill Brysin's travel book on the UK which was early 90s..he bemoaned the deterioration of town centres then, houses less well kept, litter everywhere, public services decimated and decried 14 years of the Tory rule (at the time of the book).

He did a follow up about 10 years ago and was saying that it was great to see the rejuvenation in many cities since then (the centres of the big cities anyway like Manchester). However he could see things slipping back to how they were as this was during austerity.. we've had another lost decade since.

Presumably the majority of posters on this site have children, you think they'd be concerned about the fact their kids will never have a home of their own without some big fat help with the deposit. Hell, it's getting so bad they'll ve lucky to even afford to rent.

Completely agree

Why are migrants to blame for high property prices? Please link to relevant data / stats when you reply…

I am no fan of reform but I am anti-immigration at this pont. You might be shocked to learn they're not mutually exclusive. Perhaps I just want my children to have a chance at being able to live at least a basic life in exchange for full time work. One would have thought that wasn't a big ask but it seems everyone thinks it is.

I agree with the OP, I used to love a trip into town, I live in a medium sized city which formerly had really good shopping and looked attractive. These days it is just chicken shops, burger shops, charity shops, vape shops, and pound shops. Beggars and homeless people everywhere, and I too am very conscious of the security guards, they even have them at Poundstretcher but I guess people are desperate enough to knick from there. Like everywhere else Wilko and Debenhams are long gone. The bid Argos is boarded up, Currys likewise, we still have a big John Lewis, an M and S, a large Boots but like many people I can't often afford to shop there. I appreciate that the way we shop has changed, the internet has changed that for good and we need to re think the way we use city centres, However, it is the grime, the feeling of apathy, cut with an undercurrent of threat that makes me dislike being in the city these days. As for where I live, it is so dirty and neglected that going out makes me more depressed than staying in. I am typing this looking out of my window at a massive fly tip, It will get cleared and a few days later another one will replace it. Nobody puts their bins away, weeds are taking over the pavements, there is litter blowing around and if you venture out onto the main shopping area you can see open drug dealing and once the weather warms up the drinkers will take over the local park. Yet we pay one of the highest council taxes in the country! I never invite people to my home, it is too embarrassing, it will never change other than get worse.

Are are very shit at housing bungalows these days or nice not for the mega rich apartments.

Flats are thrown up with no outside space for drying clothes and tiny two seat balconies. It we had decent ones with roof terraces and outside space that wasn’t just spinny washing lines some people might like flats more. Also storage.

They make up a large number of people (who are both migrants and native born people) who are housed by councils using private lets. This is extremely expensive to the taxpayer and the bill is only increasing as the numbers increase. Meanwhile, working people can no longer afford the basics. Do you think this is OK, or at all sustainable? I personally don't.

So what immigration would you like to stop? The vast, vast majority of immigration to the UK is fully legal and government approved - shortage workers, students. They all need to live somewhere.

People shouldn't be dropping litter out the car window or the pavement. It's not that hard to have some pride for our environment and take you rubbish home if you cant find an empty bin. That's nothing to do with rent increases, council budgets etc.

If a person can't even think its wrong to drop rubbish then there is no helping many people in this country. Even streets being clean and free of rubbish helps alot. We have a few shops boarded up in my high street but since it's still clean it's not that depressing.

Presumably the majority of posters on this site have children, you think they'd be concerned about the fact their kids will never have a home of their own without some big fat help with the deposit. Hell, it's getting so bad they'll ve lucky to even afford to rent.

And yet millions of people celebrated their house going up in value! And borrowed against that equity to buy another house to rent out. And these were not all immigrants...

@lavenderlou I don't think you meant to quote me.

Our town Llandudno is in a county with a high number of retirees so our social care bill is very high. Our refuse collections are good, street bins patchy. We have a wonderful team of volunteers who meet weekly to clear away litter but it's a hard slog. Fast food and drink containers create so much litter. Our council tax up another 10% this year. Third year running, our services have decreased year on year.

There's no solution to social care in the home in this area.

@sharknado I was quoting the poster who copied part of your post - it just quotes the whole thing.

The politicians have cocked it all up.

Immigration is a good thing that's turned into a bad thing with brainless policies and insane numbers for too long. The British people voted Brexit to control borders/reduce immigration and the powers that be do the opposite.

Added to the fact the bulk of migration these days seems to be low skilled young single men. And they'll never leave as opposed to.often seasonal workers from Europe..

Yes, many people with existing investments have benefited immensely from the industry of housing people who have very little to offer society. The previous governemts were more than happy to funnel this money for them, considering a lot of them also had investments.
What makes me laugh is that the present government are now panicking about young people not going into work. Why the fuck would they go into work with nothing to gain? Beggar's belief.

That’s embarrassing for you. If people live longer then there are more people alive and therefore the population is increased. HTH 😊

I agree and I'm glad to hear the same from a young person - I'm in my 60s and thought maybe I was just being a grumpy old woman. Everywhere seems dirty, so many closed shops, homeless people on the streets... It's so depressing. In my younger days, things seemed so promising - we'd have shorter working weeks, better housing, better healthcare... What on earth happened?

Everywhere is grubby, run down and depressing.

Potholes, litter and crowds.

And no one queues for the bus anymore.

And disgusting spitting on the street.

Also too many slum landlords. Especially hmo ones.

You can always tell when they get a new tenant as the entire house gets dumped on the street. Funnily enough though the council can never pin Point who to fine hmmm 🤔

A dad spat in the playground the other day. Another chap was vaping. Gross