Why is Greater Manchester’s public realm so tatty?

We ask a local government insider what’s going wrong

Dear readers — Broken bins. Uncleared rubbish. Cracked kerbs. The everyday street scene around here leaves a lot to be desired. If you return from many European cities — which pride themselves on keeping pavements beautifully clean and benches freshly painted — it’s hard to ignore a distinct sense of shabbiness.

It’s the kind of thing that gets much less airtime than the “serious” issues the new government is talking about — the NHS backlog, or the housing crisis. So do we just have to accept this isn’t going to get better? Today’s piece is by Sean Fielding, who was previously leader of Oldham Council and is now on Bolton Council. He wrote for us once before about why seemingly cash-strapped councils have started buying up old shopping centres. His task today: explain why many local residents open their front doors and don’t like what they see.

First though, it’s your Mill briefing. (Recommendations for a banging weekend are at the bottom).