We need a clean up outside the city centre

IT beggars belief to read the city council is about to spend £700,000 repairing the water feature in Exchange Square (Council splashes £1m on repairs to water feature,

M.E.N. Friday, January 18), when the environment in many of the city’s neighbourhoods is so poor.

Little more than a stone’s throw away from Exchange Square is the boundary with the Cheetham ward. Step over it and you are in an environment no reasonable person could find acceptable; it’s dirty, ugly and depressing and has been for many, many years.

The city centre has had many millions/billions spent on it in recent years, which have given a great improvement; a good thing for the benefit of all and few would disagree with that, but effort should now be directed towards improving the long-neglected environments in the city’s neighbourhoods.

Before they approved this large sum the city’s councillors should spend a day wandering around Cheetham’s streets then tell us they are content to ignore the litter, rubbish and degradation they find there so Exchange Square can have water trickling through its ornamental rocks for the mild amusement of any visitors or passers-by. This repair can wait, most people won’t notice.

It’s time we had a clean, well-kept neighbourhood we can be proud of, not just a city centre.

Not so proud resident, Cheetham