Borough Life Autum 2006: Council waging war on crime and grime
Clean Scene: Worsley Hall residents Margaret MacIntosh, Jean Charnock and Vivienne Mayor pictured with the street scene team.
Wigan Council is stepping up its fight against crime and grime, with some of the borough’s largest housing areas in line for a special ‘facelift’ over the coming months.
The council and its community safety partners like Greater Manchester Police are working with local residents to tackle what they say are the biggest concerns on estates from Marsh Green in the west to Higher Folds in the east.
The battle began in Marsh Green, Wigan, a 1,000-home estate that has seen a 30 per cent increase in disorderly behaviour in the past 12 months.
Council and police officers joined forces with Greater Manchester Fire Service, Wigan & Leigh Housing, and the local tenants and residents association for a whole week of ‘facelift’ activities.
Residents were able to quiz police, council and housing representatives at a special ‘one-stop shop’.
Police officers were out and about across the estate throughout the week, meeting locals and finding out more about what they expect from the Greater Manchester force.
And, as well as ridding the estate of its ‘grot spots’, litter patrols were stepped-up, backed by CCTV surveillance, while householders were able to make use of a bulky rubbish amnesty.
Officers also visited 359 homes in Marsh Green in just two nights. Residents said they wanted to see something done about youth nuisance and underage drinking over the next six months.
Operation ‘Facelift’ recently moved on to Worsley Hall, Wigan, and is scheduled to visit Norley Hall, Higher Folds, Springfield, Lower Ince, Beech Hill, Hag Fold and Worsley Mesnes.
Local groups are involved in ‘Facelift’ every step of the way, as Margaret MacIntosh from the Worsley Hall Tenants and Residents Association explains: “The problems we have in Worsley Hall will be familiar to many people – anti-social behaviour, drugs, alcohol, off-road biking, fly-tipping and dog-fouling.
“We need more police and community support officers around to make this estate better. All the housing modernisation work is making a difference, but we also need better street cleaning and a regular clean-up at Laithwaite Park .
“But ’Facelift’ isn’t only about what we want the authorities to do for us – it’s about making people on the estate aware of the problems and how we can all contribute and make a difference.”
More than 400 items of bulky rubbish were collected from Worsley Hall, including 30 TVs and a shopping trolley abandoned in somebody’s garden!
Cllr David Molyneux, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, says: “Crime and grime on our estates can have a demoralising effect on the people who live there, people who have every right to demand something better.
“That’s why operation ‘Facelift’ is about more than just cosmetic surgery. It’s about the council and its partners working with local tenants and residents to cut crime, tackle anti-social behaviour, improving the environment and building a borough people can be proud of.”