I reported yesterday on the indiscriminate thuggery by Wigan Council operatives – and their useless and destructive monolith of a mower.

I have received a reply from a Local Councillor who is investigating it.  Some people may find this an insignificant kind of action, but I believe it is these types of inconsistent and blind actions that smacks of disconnected councils and I believe could prove to be the tip of the iceberg in terms of ludicrous and poorly considered policies.  One minute we are told the Mineral Line is private land and the next the Council mow it?  One minute we are told we can’t have litter bins because the land is private and out of the Councils control and the next they flail down indiscriminately chopping up litter, leaving it blowing in the wind, leave a mess everywhere, kill many wild plants, cut down saplings and do a very poor job in the bargain.

As I have stated time and time again – either do a job properly with care or don’t bother.  The public grass that has been cut would have been better left to go to meadow, many commented on how great it looked before it was cut.  Then in the Autumn cut it down – bag the hay and sell it to pet shops or farmers – at very least compost it.  That’s a much more natural approach to public space maintenance.  And if not that – let’s have the job done regularly and properly and have it left presentable.

It would be a far more professional job if it was left to someone who cared and made it there business to tend it.

It’s about time, in my mind councils took notice of how the volunteering force can be assisted in making this borough a more inclusive and empowering place to live – rather than ignore the underpinning and valuable work they do.

Anyway here’s the pictures, notice the chopped up litter, and the tyre tracks down the verge next to of all things a nature reserve!!!  Don’t understand!

The last pictures shows the dead poppy heads – just ready to come into flower.  OK so they are ornamental, all the same they add a vibrant touch of colour to a track that needs much more tlc than I can provide.  Pic4 shows the ‘beautiful’ chopped up litter – how many bin loads of litter have I picked over the last year or so? – erm at least 9 blue bins full!!  Pic 3 shows the nature reserve and the tyre tracks left by the mower.

More’s the point as I live so close I watched the operatives attitude as they did the job – slap dash and get it done quick was most certainly the aire they had and they hurtled up and down.  Should I have challenged them? I doubt I would have received a fair hearing really.

OK nothing I can do about that now, sad though it is but nature has an uncanny way of eating this stuff for dinner – all this said I really think it’s about time that something more positive was done to develop community spirit and give people a vent to build something together.  It’s all very well and good one renegade making the TV for his work as a Guerilla Gardener but it’s not the type of thing your average person wants to be involved with.  It would be superb if Standish developed a proper community garden, get the schools involved, the older people and the kids, get them to grow community veg and get close to nature.  There’s a massive move towards allotments again what better way to bind a community than for us all to share the fruits (and veg) of our labour.

Take a look at this site – just one I found in Islington – it’s cool, really cool.

Onwards!