Skip to content or view screen version

A clean, green, and safe place to live

Charlotte Brophy | 09.03.2005 15:22

Sofas in gardens, illicit text on bus stops, open drug dealing. Sound familiar? Leeds has the same sorts of problems as any large established city, but there’s one difference, we’re no longer going to stand for it!



Whilst at work recently, I stepped outside on my break for a breath of fresh air I was unexpectedly greeted by a number of promoters dressed from head to toe in litter. Turns out, they are involved in a campaign throughout Leeds City Centre in order to promote ‘cleaning up the city’ to puzzled Saturday shoppers. Quite impressed by the lengths to which they had gone to improve the problem within Leeds I sought out more information. Through talking to other campaigners I learnt that Leeds City Council has launched a massive campaign called the ‘100 days of help and is running from the 26th February to 5th June 2005. This campaign aspires to target many of the issues that are considered to be a problem within our city, including, litter, environmental crime, and anti-social behaviour. The HELP (Healthier Environment for Leeds People) agenda includes a number of key points such as raising the public awareness, and the consequences of anti-social behaviour and environmental crime. They are also working towards making Leeds a clean, green and safe place to live. HELP is working with a number of partners such as the West Yorkshire police and fire services, the home office, Leeds Community Safety and most importantly, us.
The local news is regularly concerned with these issues, but it is a rarity for communities to get involved to try and make a difference. It’s much easier to turn a blind eye and pretend it isn’t happening, we all do it, and therefore it doesn’t seem socially unacceptable not to do anything. This is why Leeds City Council is trying to make it easier to be involved by encouraging the local communities to take an active role through highlighting the consequences of our own and our neighbour’s actions. Around 50 years ago, communities were very close knit, with neighbours’ living out of each other’s pockets, taking pride in where they lived. When ever I think of those times I picture women with a hair nets and rollers, leaning over the fence with a fag in their hands gossiping about something and nothing. I’m not saying I want us to regress to the 1950’s, but whatever happened to connection? I think that one of the aims of this campaign is to tackle the behaviour issue and to actually get people to talk to one another again. Increasingly, anti-social behaviour is becoming a problem, especially around the younger generation in Leeds.
The ‘100 days of help’ hopes to reduce the fear of crime by actually getting communities actively involved in order to feel that they can make a difference, because, it is common knowledge that 40 people dedicated towards changing something will make a difference quicker than half as many.
Litter is also a major target area for the recent campaign, as this issue involves a vast majority of us. Dropping, any sort of litter including cigarette tabs on the street incurs a spot fine of £50. This zero tolerance policy was introduced early this year in a desperate attempt to get everyone to help and be involved in doing their bit for the city without spoiling it for everyone else. Other laws have been put into place from September 2004, such as organisations seen to be distributing flyers the city centre, Hyde Park and Headingley will face a fine. In order to combat these problems production and distribution of cigarette butt holders for smokers and gum disposal pockets are being provided along with new flyer recycling bins in the same areas.
The campaign wants to work with the people not against them, thus trying to create a sense of an ‘old fashioned’ community. Some say that going backwards isn’t the way forwards, but I bet this just might work.

Leeds City Council is eager to get the local communities of every street, every park, every school, every business, and every household involved in the HELP. In order to participate, to do your bit for your city, or for information contact the HELP campaign.
Website: www.leeds.gov.uk
Email:  helpcampaign@leeds.gov.uk
Tel: 0113 398 4760

Charlotte Brophy
- e-mail: C.Brophy7756@student.leedsmet.ac.uk

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

Is this an advert or what?

12.03.2005 18:36

Am I the only one reading this who thinks this is an advert? Indymedia is not a free ads portol for the council so that they can boast about some new law or other. If somebody moderates this can they remove it?

.


aaah nostalgia's not what it was

13.03.2005 02:33

This is not advertising for Leeds City Council but worse, a DELUDED idea of "connectedness and community", women in the 1950's smoking a fag over the fence- how they would have loved being told- in between a factory shift and feeding the kids- to put their fag butts in the appropriate bins.... you're having a tufnell? Have you ever talked to our elders about the old days?If you want to connect with your local community try (in your lunch break)visiting your friendly neighbourhood crackhouse, mind they don't have you for breakfast. As we Keep Britain Tidy, our folk remain hidden- much easier to walk down the street and not see kids for sale or your granma skanking the bins,I'm sure. Connecting is easy, it's called empathy, action, tolerance- nothing wrong with bins for fags or flyers- it's just reminiscent of Imelda Marcos and her "beautification" projects in the Philippines-build pretty fences around the shanty towns ,go shopping. Whatever gets you through the night mate.

emelle


Talk about not reading what you dont wanna hear!

01.04.2005 20:34

With every respect to you both, if people keep trying to pick out things that aren't really there, rather what you want to ignore and hope to go away, this problem is doomed to failure before you guys even think about doing anything about it! Ever heard of trying to sort things out before they get so beyond help that even if you want to do anything you womt make a blind bit of a difference? Well thats all the writer seems to want to try and avoid and you pick out fault in that?! If there should be shame on anyone, its shame on you! Litter may not seem like such a big problem, but a which point will it be for you? When you're swimming in it?!

Voicing a concern and acting in the interest of the community should be commended NOT condemned! This is quite obviously not an advert, a thought provoker maybe, and to most this would be a wake up call but to those ignorant members of our oh so united community see it as a guilt trip and try to pick out flaws that aren't even there, to simply rest easier making them feel better for not doing anything themselves yet wanting exactly the same thing! A cleaner city! There are so many problems in the world and if starting with those closest to home sets you up to aim for bigger and better then I wish the best of luck to all those trying to make a positive differece and thank you in advance, even those whose efforts dont always work out, but everything starts with a want to do it, and where there is a will, there will be a way.

Sheena
mail e-mail: Mehta@sheena13.freeserve.co.uk