Are our cities centres dying?

[Iani]

City centres have had their day.

First you have to park up, and if you can find a decent parking space, there are armies of traffic enforcement waiting to swoop on your to slap fines. Parking should be free, but people are seen as cash cows by greedy greedy councils.
Arrive and you're dodging...........
Chuggers, excuse me sir have you got 20 seconds. NO, off! They thrive on the oh so British thing of not wanting to make a fuss and be polite. Get it - you have the RIGHT to refuse to be giving to greedy charities who pay these chuggers more than than the army of carers (aka junior nurses) get for a difficult job looking after OUR elderly. The right to refuse to be contributing to huge salaries of the charities managers.

Beggars. Are they really beggars or just looking to supplement their income?

Big issue sellers - oh how strange they have Romanian accents and headscarves. And there was silly me thinking it was set up to help homeless people get back on track

Drunks and foul mouthed chavs screaming for Chelsea/Chardonnay/Bradley to get the back over here, whilst holding on to a staffie on a string, waving their tattood bingo wings around and stuffing their faces with Greggs finest.

Then the shops.........charity shops, phone shops, pound shops, money changers.

And they expect people to go into town for THAT.

I used to live in a flat in the town. I imagined it being like London, with coffee shops opening late, interesting nightlife etc. No it was dirty, there were drunks screaming at all hours, there was a drop in centre next door for drug rehab, and the conversations I used to hear from those going there..........I don't want to repeat because I know it would upset many, including myself to dwell on it.
Great we had a senior manager at the time at work who was very keen on donating to Shelter. He of course lived in the middle class suburbs.

Angry, you bet I am!

Alternatively, the out of town shopping centres. They are undercover, they are kept very clean, no chuggers, no beggars, no teenagers hanging around causing trouble, and I've never seen chavs screaming obscene words in one. Just vitality and peace.

[stevewool]

City centres have had their day.

First you have to park up, and if you can find a decent parking space, there are armies of traffic enforcement waiting to swoop on your to slap fines. Parking should be free, but people are seen as cash cows by greedy greedy councils.
Arrive and you're dodging...........
Chuggers, excuse me sir have you got 20 seconds. NO, off! They thrive on the oh so British thing of not wanting to make a fuss and be polite. Get it - you have the RIGHT to refuse to be giving to greedy charities who pay these chuggers more than than the army of carers (aka junior nurses) get for a difficult job looking after OUR elderly. The right to refuse to be contributing to huge salaries of the charities managers.

Beggars. Are they really beggars or just looking to supplement their income?

Big issue sellers - oh how strange they have Romanian accents and headscarves. And there was silly me thinking it was set up to help homeless people get back on track

Drunks and foul mouthed chavs screaming for Chelsea/Chardonnay/Bradley to get the back over here, whilst holding on to a staffie on a string, waving their tattood bingo wings around and stuffing their faces with Greggs finest.

Then the shops.........charity shops, phone shops, pound shops, money changers.

And they expect people to go into town for THAT.

I used to live in a flat in the town. I imagined it being like London, with coffee shops opening late, interesting nightlife etc. No it was dirty, there were drunks screaming at all hours, there was a drop in centre next door for drug rehab, and the conversations I used to hear from those going there..........I don't want to repeat because I know it would upset many, including myself to dwell on it.
Great we had a senior manager at the time at work who was very keen on donating to Shelter. He of course lived in the middle class suburbs.

Angry, you bet I am!

Alternatively, the out of town shopping centres. They are undercover, they are kept very clean, no chuggers, no beggars, no teenagers hanging around causing trouble, and I've never seen chavs screaming obscene words in one. Just vitality and peace.

Thats just what i was trying to say