Is the City of Leicester a dump?

[The Blur]

On 19/05/2024 at 16:45, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

 

I couldn't disagree more with this and can't believe anyone would think it. Both Nottingham and Derby slaughter Leicester for pubs and bars with semblances of character, it isn't a contest. Nottingham is demonstrably better in that regard but Derby probably has the best 'good pub : city size' ratio in the UK.

 

Any pub recommendations in Derby?  I live in Derby but always on a lookout for pubs I have not been to.  

[Zear0]

12 minutes ago, The Blur said:

 

Any pub recommendations in Derby?  I live in Derby but always on a lookout for pubs I have not been to.  

Brunswick was always the goto pub when I worked there. One of the most known pubs in the city so fairly sure you'll have visited already. 

[MattFox]

On 26/06/2024 at 10:38, Stadt said:

Nottingham's floor and ceiling are both lower and higher than Leicester's, if that makes sense.

Leicesters never had OCG problems on the scale Nottingham has (In both white working class and Asian areas)

[Stadt]

31 minutes ago, MattFox said:

Leicesters never had OCG problems on the scale Nottingham has (In both white working class and Asian areas)

OCG?

[MattFox]

51 minutes ago, Stadt said:

OCG?

Organised crime

[Grebfromgrebland]

How is OCG organised crime? 

[Zear0]

7 hours ago, Grebfromgrebland said:

How is OCG organised crime? 

Organised crime gangs I'd assume. 

[Thefox81]

7 hours ago, Grebfromgrebland said:

How is OCG organised crime? 

Organised Crime Gangs

[Grebfromgrebland]

9 minutes ago, Thefox81 said:

Organised Crime Gangs

Thanks, pretty obvious really 

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/im-scared-even-look-them-9383551

 

'I'm scared to even look at them' - worry over 'almost lawless' Leicester city centre street
In response, police said they worked to 'support members of the street lifestyle community'

ByTom MackSenior Reporter
13:39, 4 JUL 2024UPDATED13:45, 4 JUL 2024

A picture taken by business owner Sandra Potts who described it as a "common sight" (Image: Sandra Potts)

People drinking, taking drugs and sitting apparently unconscious in a Leicester city centre street are causing concern for nearby businesses. Traders in Cank Street told LeicestershireLive they had seen an increase in anti-social behaviour since Paper Tiger closed.

They said a bench in Cank Street, and the closed shop's sheltered entrance, had become a popular spot for people allegedly taking illegal drugs, among other undesireable activities. Sandra Potts, owner of Sandra May Hair Studio, described the scene in the image above as a "common sight" in recent weeks.

She said: "It's not nice at all and it's upsetting for my clients and my staff. Since Paper Tiger closed, and a few other shops in the [nearby] Malcolm Arcade have gone, it's been quiet around here, so they come here, shoot up on the bench and then go into their own world.

 

"The council and police have been doing things in the past but it seems to have got a lot worse in the past couple of weeks."

Another business owner, Asif Noori, of Quality Stitch, opposite the former Paper Tiger store, agreed the problems were getting worse. He said: "They've been going there since it closed a few months ago and some are taking drugs.

"I don't know what it is they're smoking - I'm scared to even look at them. It tends to be worse later on at about 4pm when things get quieter, but it can be at any time at all. The other day there was a man and a woman and they seemed to be high on drugs and they were running around, shouting, first arguing and then laughing."

The concerns come after LeicestershireLive readers said they did not feel safe coming into the city centre. The comments were made in response to the news that the city's branch of M&S was to close. At the time, one person said "Our city centre has become a place you wouldn’t want to be in! It’s dirty and people feel unsafe!" Another added that they found visiting the city unpalatable because "there's the gauntlet of drunks, druggies groups of men [and] beggers to pass".

"You run the risk of being knocked over by all the food delivery bikers who have a blatant disregard to pedestrians in pedestrian areas, then there is all the homeless beggars and druggies everywhere the smell of weed is awful, no police anywhere," said a third. Comparing the city with Fosse Park, a reader described Leicester as "dirty and you don't feel safe - at least at Fosse Park you feel safe and it's clean, without beggars and drug users."

In relation to the latest concerns, Blake Edwards, who owns a hairdressers in Cank Street, said: "It's all the time now. And it can be any time of day from first thing to later in the evening.

"It's almost lawless. They're usually smoking from some sort of pipe. They do it with pens, sucking smoke up a pen or other tube.

"They will do it anywhere there's shelter - fire exits, the Paper Tiger entrance. They're confident to just do it openly almost anywhere, knowing that there's no repercussions.

"And of course it affects us as a business. It's all about the experience for our clients, and if they're witnessing all these things on their way here it could put them off.

"They should be able to feel at ease coming into the city centre. But they don't feel safe."

He said he had been reporting anti-social behaviour to Leicestershire Police regularly and that officers had visited his business and encouraged him to keep reporting such incidents. But he said he feared there were not enough police officers in Leicester to make much difference.

Mr Edwards added: "There's anti-social behaviour all over the city centre, so it's nothing new. A lot of them have mental health problems and are spending the day drinking, and it's a problem. The other day I passed a drunk man standing in the middle of Market Street with a can of drink in his hand and everyone having to avoid him."

A member of staff at another nearby business, who did not want to be named, said: "You see it more and more and it puts people off coming into Leicester. They need more police out on the beat or there's just no deterrent to stop people getting drunk and taking drugs."

A spokesman for Leicestershire Police told LeicestershireLive: "Officers from the Central Leicester Neighbourhood Policing Area carry out regular proactive patrols of the city centre.

"The team works closely with Leicester City Council’s community safety department to support members of the street lifestyle community and signpost them to other support networks where appropriate."

A Leicester City Council spokesperson said: "Leicester City Council actively engages with businesses in the area and across the city centre and we encourage reporting whenever this behaviour occurs. The council works in partnership with Leicestershire Police and the Business Improvement District (BID) to understand and tackle these issues and we will ensure that we increase our presence in the area and take action where anti-social behaviour is reported to us."

[davieG]

On 31/07/2005 at 12:01, davieG said:

Just been up/down town, not something I do too much these days; now I know there is a lot of building going on but it just struck me that it looks a rundown, dirty, litter ridden dump, for example the expensive paving in Humberstone Gate/Clock Tower is all uneven.

I can't believe we had the nerve to enter the Britain in Bloom competition as a few flower baskets don't disguise the general decay of the City infrastructure.

Are all Cities like this - I think not.

We used to be known as the cleanest City in England and the second most prosperous City in Europe - What's gone wrong?

When I started this thread my concerns where about how dirty it was it's seemingly got worse judging from the above article.

 

Glad going into is something I do even less of these days than I did back then.

[brookfox]

Was in town today and was gutted to see what a dump it is. Saw a homeless person smoking something (crack maybe) in a doorway about 10m from the clock tower. Honestly not sure what the answer is but we’re rapidly heading in the direction of some American cities I reckon. So sad to see the decline in the city we grew up in ☹️

[Voll Blau]

On 29/06/2024 at 22:08, The Blur said:

 

Any pub recommendations in Derby?  I live in Derby but always on a lookout for pubs I have not been to.  

Brunswick

Alexandra

Smithfield

Exeter Arms

Royal Standard (was the Derby Tap)

Dolphin

Flowerpot

Five Lamps

Furnace

Greyhound

Golden Eagle

Mr Grundy's

Falstaff

 

All top beer pubs with character. Reeling off that list off the top my my head makes me depressed about Leicester's scene these days.

[The Blur]

8 hours ago, Voll Blau said:

Brunswick

Alexandra

Smithfield

Exeter Arms

Royal Standard (was the Derby Tap)

Dolphin

Flowerpot

Five Lamps

Furnace

Greyhound

Golden Eagle

Mr Grundy's

Falstaff

 

All top beer pubs with character. Reeling off that list off the top my my head makes me depressed about Leicester's scene these days.

 

Nice,  I have visited most of them expect for Alexandra, Furnace (thankyou, I walked past that pub few years ago and have been racking my brain since then as I thought I imagined it due to its weird location), Golden Eagle (always were unsure if it's shut as I drive past it on way to work every morning) and Falstaff (picked up a mate from a wake there once).

 

Have you been to Royal Standard since it's face-lift?   It is my work pub but haven't been in it for a while which is bit criminal.

 

I would add Greyhound to the list,  it has been bought out by same propertior as Royal Standard.    Travellers Rest and Hole in Wall are not too shabby.   Seven Stars' ale selection is limited but you cannot fault its facade.     Have not been to Ye Olde Dolphin Inn for yolks too, cannot remember if it's worthy of a recommendation.   The Ale Post is worth a glance but does not do it for me.

 

Five Lamps is one of my favourite,  there is a nice communal feel to its interior layout but the new owners have plonked on weird climbing ivy inside which is awful.  

Edited 5 August by The Blur

[Voll Blau]

3 minutes ago, The Blur said:

 

Nice,  I have visited most of them expect for Alexandra, Furnace (thankyou, I walked past that pub few years ago and have been racking my brain since then as I thought I imagined it due to its weird location), Golden Eagle (always were unsure if it's shut as I drive past it on way to work every morning) and Falstaff (picked up a mate from a wake there once).

 

Have you been to Royal Standard since it's face-lift?   It is my work pub but haven't been in it for a while which is bit criminal.

 

I would add Greyhound to the list,  it has been bought out by same propertior as Royal Standard.    Travellers Rest and Hole in Wall are not too shabby.   Seven Stars' ale selection is limited but you cannot fault its facade.     Have not been to Ye Olde Dolphin Inn for yolks too, cannot remember if it's worthy of a recommendation. 

Not been to the Royal Standard since the revamp but I am a bit worried after seeing a couple of pics. Real shame what happened to Derby Brewing.

 

Travellers Rest must have changed post-Covid then, as I used to live opposite and thought it was crap. Went in twice in four years, used Grundy's as our local instead.

 

Got a few mates coming up on Saturday and planning to do a few village pubs on the Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket (as much bus and rail travel as you want for a flat day fee). Such a good initiative - again, something Leicester/Leicestershire could learn from to attract more day tourism. Seems to be so much more effort put in around here to attracting your CAMRA/day sesh types.

[The Blur]

59 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

Not been to the Royal Standard since the revamp but I am a bit worried after seeing a couple of pics. Real shame what happened to Derby Brewing.

 

Travellers Rest must have changed post-Covid then, as I used to live opposite and thought it was crap. Went in twice in four years, used Grundy's as our local instead.

 

Got a few mates coming up on Saturday and planning to do a few village pubs on the Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket (as much bus and rail travel as you want for a flat day fee). Such a good initiative - again, something Leicester/Leicestershire could learn from to attract more day tourism. Seems to be so much more effort put in around here to attracting your CAMRA/day sesh types.

 

 

Fair enough,  I went to the school opposite Travellers Rest so always going to have nostalgic tinted view of it.   

 

I have seen the photos of the facelift  for Royal Standard and had a peek inside,  would not say I am not too bothered as it was not a saw and dust pub before and always had that slight hipster feel to it before.  

 

That sounds great!   Do keep us posted on which pubs/villages you went to, would like to do the same!  

 

Used to live close to Barton upon Needwood which is not quite Derbyshire but it has 4/5 pubs in the village including one in Barton Marina (standard chain pub mind).  They have a banging Indian restaurant (Little India) too.  Always have wanted to do one there.   

[SemperEadem]

When did Pilot close?

[Stadt]

52 minutes ago, SemperEadem said:

When did Pilot close?

6 weeks/Couple of months ago 

[MattFox]

On 05/09/2024 at 11:58, SemperEadem said:

When did Pilot close?

Pilot and Wellgosh were both two genuinely decent stores worth visiting 

 

Guess having two big Flannels in the city and fosse park has killed them

[MattFox]

City seems to have gone hard into reverse gear the past few years 

 

Shame as it’s as recent as 2016/17 you could make a case for it as being on the up

[westernpark]

3 minutes ago, MattFox said:

City seems to have gone hard into reverse gear the past few years 

 

Shame as it’s as recent as 2016/17 you could make a case for it as being on the up

Most cities bar the obvious few are seeing similar trends. Market Towns are where to be, unfortunately.

[Out Foxed]

do we not have street cleaners anymore? shit in the streets all over the shop/

[davieG]

16 minutes ago, Out Foxed said:

do we not have street cleaners anymore? shit in the streets all over the shop/

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/council-spent-763k-new-fleet-9515162?utm_source=mynewsassistant.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=embedded_search_item_desktop

 

 

Why council has spent £763k on new fleet of cleaning machines amid bankruptcy concerns
We asked the city council why it had spent the cash when its coffers are in such a poor state

ByHannah RichardsonLocal Democracy Reporter
11:08, 29 AUG 2024

Members of Leicester City Councils cleansing team with some of the brand new street cleaning equipment (Image: Leicester City Council)
A Leicestershire council has explained why it has spent £763,000 on a new fleet of street cleaning machines when it is facing possible bankruptcy. The 11 new appliances will become a regular sight in the city centre in the coming weeks, Leicester City Council said.

The fleet comprises “two powerful street washers, three fully-electric machines that can wash benches, bins and hard-to-reach places, and six compact street sweepers, complete with two heavy-duty scrubbing attachments”, the authority added. But the money to pay for them has come from the council's own coffers - at a time when the authority is strapped for cash.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has been publicly warning since last October that Leicester is facing a financial “cliff’s edge” and is expecting to declare bankruptcy by the end of 2024/25 if nothing changes. In the firing line for cost savings are the city’s adventure playgrounds and future Diwali celebrations, with news coming last week that the lights switch-on for the Hindu festival will not be going ahead this year.

 

Given the bleak financial picture, LeicestershireLive asked Leicester City Council why it had forked out hundreds of thousands on the new machines, and what would be happening to the old fleet. A spokeswoman told us the purchase was necessary as the former fleet was “approaching the end of its working life”, and the city council had a legal duty to keep Leicester's streets clean.

She said: “The new equipment replaces machines that have been in constant use in the city centre since 2019 and are now approaching the end of their working life. Those in better condition will be moved from their shifts in the city centre to provide additional cleaning power in Leicester’s neighbourhoods and parks.”

Keeping the streets clear of litter is “a statutory responsibility” for the council, the spokeswoman added. This means it is legally obliged to ensure rubbish is tackled.

“We have to ensure that we have the equipment we need to maintain cleaning standards, but a clean and welcoming city centre is also something that residents, shoppers and visitors to Leicester expect – and that local businesses demand," she said.

Over the coming weeks and months, the two new street washing machines will systematically clean every city centre street, removing ingrained stains and the thousands of pieces of discarded chewing gum that litter Leicester’s streets, the council said. Work started in the city’s Market Street, with the "time intensive" task taking around four days to complete, according to the local authority.

They are now “methodically work their way around the city centre, until every street has been cleaned”. Meanwhile, the team in charge of the new sweepers are starting work at 5.15am each morning to ensure that any debris left behind by night-time revellers is cleared away by 8am, the council said.

The sweepers are also able to clear weeds from the kerbside, while two scrub-deck attachments allow them to be converted into street-washing machines, the council said. Streets with the heaviest footfall, such as Gallowtree Gate, are cleaned at least four times a day, while all city centre streets get at least one daily clean, it added.

Residents can also play their part in keeping their city tidy, the council said. Overflowing waste bins, dog fouling, fly-tipping and dumped waste can be reported online on the Love Clean Streets website and via its app.

Deputy city mayor Elly Cutkelvin said: “In an ideal world, litter, chewing gum and food waste would all be placed in one of the 200 plus bins we have in the city centre, but unfortunately far too much of it ends up on our streets, creating stains that can be tough to shift. Keeping the city centre clean is a daily challenge, but with this investment in new, state-of-the-art equipment, I hope people will see that we’re committed to making the city centre a clean and welcoming place – and help us keep it that way.”

 

[Out Foxed]

On 05/09/2024 at 12:51, Stadt said:

6 weeks/Couple of months ago 

damn that's a shame

was the place to be in 2003

[MattFox]

23 hours ago, westernpark said:

Most cities bar the obvious few are seeing similar trends. Market Towns are where to be, unfortunately.

Shame

 

Feels like Leicester’s gone from being a tier below the big cities to basically being another Cov/Wolverhampton though in a short space of time