A recent seemingly large scale quality of life survey of British towns and cities placed the city of Bradford at the bottom of a list of ‘favourite cities’. According to the local newspaper for the Bradford area, the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, a major survey saw only 23% of those questioned say they liked Bradford.
When you look at Bradford, and especially at the problems brought to Bradford by Islam, such as ghettoisation, violence, massive levels of drug crime, scummy,dangerous third world style food shops and regular outbreaks of wanking Muslims, it is easy to understand why people look at Bradford and say ‘no thanks’. It’s not a place that many people would want to live in, visit or even invest their money in. It is a city that has gone from being a powerhouse of the textile industry that people flocked to in order to work, to a place that, often because of the segregated Islamic monoculture that has grown up there, is a place to avoid.
What should worry the burghers of Bradford is that this survey of attitudes to Bradford’s ‘charms’, isn’t being done by some shonky backstreet polling outfit but by the very high profile and impeccably well connected and informed YouGov organisatiion. This is a shocking result for Bradford and I’ve included a snapshot of the comments that have been made in the Telegraph and Argus article at the bottom of this article, just in case the paper gets ‘leaned on’ by the council to delete comments.
The Telegraph and Argus said:
BRADFORD has come in bottom place in a recent YouGov poll into the nation’s favourite cities.
Less than a quarter of people surveyed – 23 per cent – said they liked Bradford, putting the city bottom of the list, behind Wolverhampton (24 per cent), Sunderland (30 per cent) and Wakefield (32 per cent).
The nation’s favourite city was found to be York, with 92 per cent of people saying they liked the city. Bath ranked in second place, with 89 per cent of people saying they like it, followed by Edinburgh with 88 per cent.
Notice how the most favoured places are areas that have either no Muslims or a minimal Islamic presence. Odd that isn’t it?
The Telegraph and Argus added:
Leeds ranked in 40th place out of 57, with 58 per cent of people saying they liked our neighbouring city. Elsewhere in Yorkshire, Sheffield (53 per cent) placed 44th, Hull (37 per cent) came 52nd, and Ripon (71 per cent) came 26th.
Across the Pennines, Manchester came just after Ripon in 27th, with 69 per cent of people saying they like the city, and our nation’s capital came 22nd, with 73 per cent of people saying they like the Big Smoke.
The list has been compiled from the YouGov profiles of more than 55,000 people.
I must admit that this is quite a healthy sample size behind this survey and it says a lot about Bradford that more people prefer the crime-ridden streets of London rather than Bradford.
The response of those in the comments section of this piece by who buy into the line that Bradford is a great place to live (probably either Muslims or council workers) is to point to the high visitor numbers for attractions in the Bradford area. However they are not speaking of Bradford itself but the places that are outside of the city. Although there are good places to visit and live in the area that is administratively Bradford, there seems to be little to attract people to Bradford itself, unless the visitor is into being accosted by a wanking Muslim or playing food poisoning roulette by eating in one of Bradford’s less salubrious eateries.
So, it’s virtually official, Bradford is a shithole and I reckon we all know one major reason why Bradford has declined so badly and it is a word that begins with an ‘I’ and ends with an ‘M’.
Comments from the Bradford Telegraph and Argus story on Bradford’s unlovely-ness
David Jones [T&A Staff] 21st August 11:00 am
3 I don’t think monoculture means what you think it means.
As per the OED:
monoculture
NOUN
mass noun
The cultivation of a single crop in a given area.
e.g. the replacement of natural forest with pine monoculture
Last Updated: 21st August 10:50 pm
‘t in’t int’tin 21st August 12:09 pm
22 ..and yet the Cambridge dictionary contains the following definition: “a culture that is the same in many different places: e.g Globalisation has imposed a dull monoculture, which swamps national traditions and eccentricities”.
Last Updated: 21st August 12:13 am
FishingForTrolls 21st August 3:46 pm
14 For sure Bradford was named emerging destination of the year recently. The judging panel praised Bradford as a modern cosmopolitan city with a thousand stories to tell.
The Luxury Travel Guides report mentions that the district was selected as the first ever UNESCO City of Film, has its own UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saltaire, has Haworth the home of the Brontes and Keighley Worth Valley Railway, as well as the multi-award winning City Park and Little Germany, it also has The award winning Alhambra Theatre and St George’s Hall, the oldest purpose built concert hall still in use in the whole of the United Kingdom.
The judges were also impressed with the way the Bradford district has integrated its local communities into its tourist offerings, embracing both its modern multicultural status and its impressive heritage all delivered with a sense of welcoming hospitality which is quintessentially British. Have many of the people taking part in this poll actually been to Bradford because the city’s tourist economy includes millions of visitors each year to the various tourist attractions in the city, for me that is the best poll Bradford can have for sure, they vote with their feet. This paints a whole different picture about Bradford to the one painted above for sure.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:53 pm
absw19 21st August 5:18 pm
4 Given the plus side it still achieved bottom place some city you defend.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:11 pm
FishingForTrolls 21st August 5:37 pm
2 There are millions of tourists who visit Bradford every year who vote with their feet. That is a much better poll for sure as they are actually coming to Bradford rather than a poll from people who for the most part have never been to the place. I’m sure if these people who voted actually visited Bradford and its tourist attractions like Saltaire, Ilkley, Haworth and the Bronte Parsonage, the National Science and Media Museum and The Alhambra and the many other attractions too many to mention a different poll result would happen for sure.
Last Updated: 21st August 6:36 pm
I <3 Bradford 21st August 5:50 pm
10 OK since you want to quote figures out of context allow me to waste five minutes putting you right. First of all Bradford isn’t a tourist destination it has not got a single historical tourist attraction and being the Unesco City of film (a title I am not sure it will hold for much longer) doesnt cut the mustard with anyone. Haworth is a tourist destination, Saltaire is, Ilkley is, BUT Bradford isn’t. The figures the council quote for their tourist numbers are for “Bradford Region” not Bradford City. No one can argue that the areas surrounding Bradford have some stunning places, but this survey is about the City itself. I doubt anyone would see anywhere in the City as a “place to travel to” or specifically visit. I don’t see herds of tourists snapping photos and rushing down Great Horton Road, or Leeds Road, or Manningham Lane, or Manchester Road (Thinking about this for a minute is there actually ANY nice way to get to Bradford from outside the Ring Road.)
Secondly The survey had FIFTY FIVE THOUSAND responses, I doubt very much that they had ALL been to EVERY CITY in England so each City was on a level playing field in that respect. So the poll was diverse fair and accurate…..And Bradford came last.
And you don’t even have to have been here to know why. And the person writing this lives here and likes the region a lot, but not the City.
Incidentally in a recent Poll in the Broadsheets Bradford didn’t even make the Top 20 Tourist destinations list in the UK. Just for the record.
Last Updated: 6 hrs ago
Stone Hinge 21st August 12:27 pm
12 Hi Davy,
I think Tin Tin has done it for me, but, just for the avoidance of doubt, my Chambers (the only dictionary) has
‘ 2 an area where there is just one, shared culture, eg a single ethnic, social or religious culture.’
I’d also inserted the, now optional, hyphen, to draw a distinction from the agricultural usage.
Might I also add that it’s so nice to have a name (and maybe one day a face?) to associate with the local thought police,
Last Updated: 21st August 10:30 pm
‘t in’t int’tin 21st August 12:46 pm
1 http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/author/profile/80083.David_Jones/
Last Updated: 21st August 1:26 pm
David Jones [T&A Staff] 21st August 12:59 pm
6 Well, in that case I’m happy to stand corrected. Although I’d disagree that it applies to any ward near central Bradford, if you look at the demographics via https://ubd.bradford.gov.uk/district-profiles/ward-profiles/
Last Updated: 21st August 10:51 pm
Humble B 21st August 1:28 pm
12 Can I also say that it’s nice to make your acquaintance and congratulate you on having the courage to open this story for comments when you probably did envisage the variations on “I told you so” that would fill the posts.
Like @Idler below I think a response from City Hall is definitely called for and hopefully it will be one that seeks to address this issue rather than pooh-pooh it as fake news which is what usually happens when Bradford finds itself at the wrong end of a national league table.
I’m also hoping that the hyphenated Council consultant will talk about this in his next column.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:56 pm
Lord How-How and Why 21st August 1:53 pm
10 I’m sure that apology took a bit of courage, so well done.
It’s very refreshing to see a newspaper correction that doesn’t appear in the very bottom left hand corner of page two.
I just hope that Perry Austin-Clarke will show the same integrity and admit that people being realistic about Bradford aren’t all trolls.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:56 pm
1in10000 21st August 2:04 pm
7
David Jones [T&A Staff] wrote:Well, in that case I’m happy to stand corrected. Although I’d disagree that it applies to any ward near central Bradford, if you look at the demographics via https://ubd.bradford.gov.uk/district-profiles/ward-profiles/
Hi David, well if you’re going to post links regarding ward profiles in relation to a begrudging acceptance that mono culture has a wider definition to the one offered by yourself, then perhaps the pdf below may offer a better understanding:
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.westyorkshireobservatory.org/resource/view%3FresourceId%3D3585&ved=2ahUKEwjsgp7MmP7cAhXrD8AKHbsSAu0QFjAFegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw1P3NGIUqkKJGs5hRsIAipj
Before we argue semantics, regarding what percentage of a particular ethnic grouping denotes a ‘mono culture’, or again, how the ethnic breakdown reflects upon the social demographic devide. To say that none of the wards demonstrates a clear ethnic devide, nor that there is no clear cultural segregation is pure fantasy.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:31 pm
Apostate 21st August 3:06 pm
12 Yes indeed.
The term multicultural is often erroneously used.
Bradford is a prime example of cultural pluralism rather than multiculturalism.
For the most part two distinct cultures exist arguably as a result of self isolationism.
Anyone with even an elemetary knowledge of history or anthroplogy will know fractured/fragmented societies are destined for conflict.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:57 pm
FishingForTrolls 21st August 5:20 pm
2 For sure the best vote is how many people are actually visiting Bradford, there are millions of tourists visiting annually, 2.25million visitor nights were spent in the district in 2016 as well as 11.6 million day trips. These tourists who are actually spending time in Bradford are voting with their feet. I’d be interested to know just how many of those voting in this poll have actually visited the city. Potentially very few.
Last Updated: 21st August 5:48 pm
Jackie Thompson 21st August 5:38 pm
7 Fishing for trolls
You are citing visits, many of which will not have been tourist trips. They include business visitors and people who are visiting relatives. They are also unimpressive when compared with figures for other cities. Citing figures for Bradford without providing comparators is a tactic designed to mislead readers.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:32 pm
Jackie Thompson 21st August 5:59 pm
3 Bradford is full of derelict sites, many of which are in , or close to, the City centre. Many of the sites to the west have been set aside by the Council as reserved for employment (Category B use only which means factories and warehouses, not offices). It is not the fault of any one community or of ordinary citizens that this has happened. It is the fault of Council Officers (particularly those in the Planning and Regeneration Department) and some Councillors. These derelict sites deter investment. They need to be reviewed along with all of the other land and derelict buildings where use is restricted to Category B because many will not be suitable for such use and need to be released for other purposes such as housing and offices.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:32 pm
Idler60 21st August 10:18 am
24 Do we have a reaction from councillor Hinchcliffe on this poll?
Last Updated: 21st August 10:58 pm
[Deleted] 21st August 10:33 am
4 [Deleted]
Last Updated: 21st August 10:55 am
I <3 Bradford 21st August 11:46 am
33 I did limit my comments about Perry to the article he’d written David sorry if you couldn’t understand that. The one where he praised the story about Bradford being the best emerging city in the UK then viciously attacked people who had disagreed with that story.
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/16372501.less-spit-and-more-polish-profits-city/
you remember.. the article the paper then decided to remove, then put back up, then remove again.
Given this YouGov poll flies in the face of everything the T&A and Council have been trying desperately to force down our throats and yet is totally in line with everything the supposed Trolls have been saying for years that you are desperately trying to silence.
Can you tell this is something I feel quite strongly about ? Would you like to just sit down relax and actually LISTEN to what your readers are trying to tell you for once instead of taking your bat and ball home in a sulk ?
Last Updated: 3 hrs ago
‘t in’t int’tin 21st August 12:16 pm
18 Poor David. Every time he writes something he is corrected. I called out a failure to research his facts just a little higher up in the comments. I wonder if he really is T&A staff.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:58 pm
Dale Mailey 21st August 1:04 pm
20
I <3 Bradford wrote:I did limit my comments about Perry to the article he’d written David sorry if you couldn’t understand that. The one where he praised the story about Bradford being the best emerging city in the UK then viciously attacked people who had disagreed with that story.http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/16372501.less-spit-and-more-polish-profits-city/you remember.. the article the paper then decided to remove, then put back up, then remove again.Given this YouGov poll flies in the face of everything the T&A and Council have been trying desperately to force down our throats and yet is totally in line with everything the supposed Trolls have been saying for years that you are desperately trying to silence.Can you tell this is something I feel quite strongly about ? Would you like to just sit down relax and actually LISTEN to what your readers are trying to tell you for once instead of taking your bat and ball home in a sulk ?
I was just thinking of the very same article where Perry announced that all who disagree with him about this city of ours becoming an emerging destination & calling it out for been fake news were trolls…..
But its looking like all the trolls are the vast majority of the country
So either the whole of the UK has a vendetta against Bradford or the so called trolls were actually right & the story had as much merit as colonel Gaddafis charity work smh
Last Updated: 21st August 11:45 pm
Ant5 21st August 10:41 am
34 Anyone surprised by this?
The pond at its heart clearly done nothing to change people’s opinion and has become nothing more than a bathing pool for the great unwashed!
We got rid of the hole in the ground but people are still ashamed to be associated with the hell hole!
Last Updated: 21st August 11:45 pm
Charlie Sargent 21st August 11:51 am
28 Absolutely not, its what we have known for a couple of decades, my mate lives in Perth Australia, and said folk down there even know about Bradford and its issues!.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:45 pm
Chorlton’s Bradford Wheelies 21st August 10:49 am
21 Sadly Bradford’s been the nation’s least favourite since the 70’s. That’s the harsh truth.
People were taking the mick 40+ years ago about this once-great city of ours.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:00 pm
Jackie Thompson 21st August 10:53 am
26 This is tragic. Bradford could be one of the most beautiful and desirable cities in the country. It has a legacy of tremendous 19th century architecture and even from the centre you can see green hills and the green ridges that run toward the centre if you are in the upper storeys of buildings. Manningham was once one of the most desirable places to live in the country and the larger houses there reflect that. Keighleys views are even better and it too has wonderful and largely unspoilt 19th century buildings at its centre. Keighley also has the benefit of the old waterside footpaths that the millworkers used to use to get to work.
But I dont doubt the validity of this poll. I know Bradford well, I live in the district and I have a great deal of loyalty to the city but I no longer go there unless I absolutely have to (which is extremely rare) and I certainly wouldnt drive my car into the city.
The biggest tragedy is that it doesnt have to be this way.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:46 pm
Freddie K 21st August 11:49 am
13 I have to agree Jackie. The houses in Manningham and around Cliffe Castle in Keighley are amazing. I hear stories from grandparents now long gone on how prosperous and fabulous the district was to live in. This includes the outlying regions and lovely scenic countryside. The research done by Sheffield Hallam University on “the contemporary labour market in Britain’s older industrial towns” says it all really. Much more should have been done to replace what was lost in textiles and mining. There are other reasons including education but primarily its the lack of opportunities and the affects thereof. I am so disappointed at local governments lack of progress over the last 20 years when like Leeds they could have done so much more. However, Leeds has one massive advantage over most of Bradford. Its amazing rail and motorway access to the M621, M62 and M1. Its clear to me that if you want business to move in you have to improve the transport infrastructure, end of. Then the jobs and prosperity will follow. We have a relatively cheap and abundant source of labour so its not that.
Last Updated: 2 hrs ago
I <3 Bradford 21st August 12:08 pm
19 I agree Jackie I love the Bradford area to bits, I have lived here my entire life with plenty of opportunities to move with work that I have turned down. What I hate is when people tell me “Bradfords Great” – to be honest I struggle to even believe Bradford is vaguely OK ! And in a lot of ways I am glad a decent reliable Poll has finally reinforced what most people know to be the truth.
You don’t have to hate Bradford just because you don’t like it ! But the only way it will get better is if people stop burying their heads in the sand, particularly the council and this newspaper and instead admit there are some major problems with the City center itself that need recognising and fixing. This goes WAY beyond “regeneration planning” imho.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:01 pm
Humble B 21st August 1:39 pm
12 @Jackie
Very true. In any other city, whether for good or ill, Manningham and Cliffe Castle would be in the grip of gentrification and we would know that Bradford was finally making progress.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:35 pm
[Deleted] 21st August 11:11 am
16 [Deleted]
Last Updated: 21st August 1:19 pm
Bradford Rules 21st August 11:29 am
4 Behaving like this in the city center certainly won’t do anything to improve the image of the City either. I think when the majority choose to stick their heads in the sand and ignore the issues and behavior in their homes and instead choose to focus on blaming minorities, then it’s no wonder the City lags behind.
https://www.facebook.com/babujeenews/videos/1847283811993558/
Last Updated: 21st August 10:35 pm
HB28 21st August 11:52 am
24 There are many ills in the city, the driving is a major issue as is the drug culture. But by far the city is seen as segregated and this is true in large areas, unfortunately there are areas I would be uncomfortable venturing into, both Asian and white areas, Im not blaming either side, but the riots were the first nail in the coffin, and since then nothing has been done to improve the perception of the city.
The shanty shops allowed on Leeds Rd which is one of the gateways to the city look appalling as does Tong St with all the mess and the occasional horse or two on the grass verges.
I think the worst though is the road network, too much traffic on roads that on the whole havent changed since the horse and carriage days.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:36 pm
Frankie Johnson 21st August 12:16 pm
2 I’m aghast !
Why would anyone dislike Bradford ?
Last Updated: 21st August 10:36 pm
Mr Perks 21st August 12:45 pm
6 I know that impression and reputation count for a lot. I’d be interested to know the percentage of people that based their opinion on experience rather than ‘what they’d heard’ or read in a national newspaper. From experience, Bradford is pretty similar to other northern post industrial cities and there’s nowhere near the same scale of problems like homelessness in Manchester, for example. I’m a proud Bradfordian and when I say I’m from here some people wince, but their opinion is rarely a result of actually visiting the city.
Last Updated: 21st August 12:02 am
robholmes 21st August 1:02 pm
1 Another poll…….what almost everybody in the UK did not know about?
Did you vote….No….did I vote….no…did he vote…no…..did the dog vote…no…
In other words, what a load of bull.
Last Updated: 21st August 2:27 pm
Humble B 21st August 1:44 pm
8 Well 55,000 seems like a pretty reasonably sized sample to me. Their view of our city is definitely wrong but when it comes to things like this perception is all that counts and until that perception is changed nobody will want to invest in Bradford.
Hinchcliffe needs to understand the root causes of this perception and go about fixing them.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:02 pm
Jackie Thompson 21st August 4:09 pm
8 Hi Rob Holmes
It isn just a perception. Bradford cant attract investors, house prices are stagnant and you cant sell flats in central Bradford at the price it costs to build them.
We have lower average wages here than almost everywhere else in West Yorkshire where average wages are already lower than they are nationally. We have one of the least well educated populations in the country and we have a cripplingly low jobs density of circa .67 (it should be at least .85 in a city this size and ideally should be over 1).
No it isnt just a perception. Its absolute heartbreaking fact and the Council has to get a realistic set of plans and policies on the table to address that and those plans need to be based on clear and transparent data not manufactured, massaged and heavily edited and misrepresented figures that are designed to boost Bradfords image.
Serious investors are not fooled by PR. nonsense unless it has a sound base in reality just as customers rapidly start seeing through marketing hype when they realise a product is substandard.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:03 pm
no One 21st August 4:50 pm
1
Jackie Thompson wrote:Hi Rob HolmesIt isn just a perception. Bradford cant attract investors, house prices are stagnant and you cant sell flats in central Bradford at the price it costs to build them.We have lower average wages here than almost everywhere else in West Yorkshire where average wages are already lower than they are nationally. We have one of the least well educated populations in the country and we have a cripplingly low jobs density of circa .67 (it should be at least .85 in a city this size and ideally should be over 1).No it isnt just a perception. Its absolute heartbreaking fact and the Council has to get a realistic set of plans and policies on the table to address that and those plans need to be based on clear and transparent data not manufactured, massaged and heavily edited and misrepresented figures that are designed to boost Bradfords image.Serious investors are not fooled by PR. nonsense unless it has a sound base in reality just as customers rapidly start seeing through marketing hype when they realise a product is substandard.
Yet Bradford citizens have a higher amount of disposable income then heavily subsidised Manchester which has the 5th lowest disposable income in the whole of the UK.
Don’t even get me started on Leicester which has the 3rd lowest Disposable income in the UK despite allegedly having super afluent and educated immigrants.
These are facts not opinions of people many whom probably have not even set foot in Bradford
Last Updated: 21st August 12:03 am
Jackie Thompson 21st August 5:32 pm
4 Hi No one
Could you cite a source for the information you cover as it would be helpful to see how it was arrived at. My guess without looking at that would be that the calculation on disposable income would be after housing costs are taken off. If that is the case the high rate of disposable income will reflect housing costs which in Bradford are very low. It might also include a reduction associated with the percentage of owner occupiers who dont have a mortgage (which is a high proportion in Bradford).
Levels of disposable income calculated this way dont reflect the economic well-being of a city. The city, as an entity, needs to earn its keep by providing jobs and businesses with the latter contributing to maintaining the city and wider district via business rates and the U.K. as a whole via corporate taxes. The former contributes to the maintainence of the nation andthe provision of services such as the NHS via income tax and national insurance contributions.
So dont, just dont, bang on about higher disposable income.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:37 pm
no One 21st August 6:01 pm
1
Jackie Thompson wrote:Hi No oneCould you cite a source for the information you cover as it would be helpful to see how it was arrived at. My guess without looking at that would be that the calculation on disposable income would be after housing costs are taken off. If that is the case the high rate of disposable income will reflect housing costs which in Bradford are very low. It might also include a reduction associated with the percentage of owner occupiers who dont have a mortgage (which is a high proportion in Bradford).Levels of disposable income calculated this way dont reflect the economic well-being of a city. The city, as an entity, needs to earn its keep by providing jobs and businesses with the latter contributing to maintaining the city and wider district via business rates and the U.K. as a whole via corporate taxes. The former contributes to the maintainence of the nation andthe provision of services such as the NHS via income tax and national insurance contributions.So dont, just dont, bang on about higher disposable income.
Incomes are per person after tax and benefits are taken in to account.
Also housing isn’t taken into account if it was London Boroughs would be at the bottom.
The figures are taken from The UK’s largest independent producer of official statistics and the recognised national statistical institute of the UK.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44237180
So why are inhabitants in Manchester, Nottingham and Leicester scraping the bottom of the barrell and not those in Low income areas such as Newham TowerHamlets Southall or Bradford
Last Updated: 21st August 12:03 am
Jackie Thompson 21st August 6:38 pm
4 The BBC post your link connects to doesnt actually say any of the things you have in your post. I will take a look at the ONS source material it is based on on get back to you after I have taken the dog for his walk.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:53 pm
no One 21st August 6:47 pm
0
Jackie Thompson wrote:The BBC post your link connects to doesnt actually say any of the things you have in your post. I will take a look at the ONS source material it is based on on get back to you after I have taken the dog for his walk.
yes it does
The areas which had the least disposable income in 2016 were all within the north and midland regions of England, except for Derry City and Strabane in Northern Ireland.
Nottingham had the lowest disposable income per head in 2016, at 37.1% below the UK average. This was followed by Blackburn with Darwen and Leicester.
there is a line chartwhich shows manchester as number 5 in the least disposable income in the uk
as for
Incomes are per person after tax and benefits are taken in to account that is also on the chart
goodnewsday 21st August 1:06 pm
2 Bradford is positioned well geographically between Manchester and Leeds. It has close connections to major economic centres. If only the government invested more in transport links and other infrastructure between cities in the north then we could become one major combined centre. It is centrally located in the UK and has more potential than a lot of cities to do better. If you look at places on the fringes of the country in Cumbria and the far North East, they don’t have an easy location for future economic growth like Bradford does. We need HS2 and HS3 as soon as possible. We’re in the middle of the northern powerhouse and there are opportunities for growth. There are obviously issues to deal with as others have mentioned. We also need improved education, skills and more investment to realise the potential.
Last Updated: 21st August 2:28 pm
Jackie Thompson 21st August 4:23 pm
4 Hi Good News day
Bradfords location between Leeds and Manchester isnt particularly helpful. The difference in road journey time between Leeds and Manchester and Bradford and Manchester is a paltry six minutes or so before you take into account issues like getting from industrial sites to a route that will get you onto a motorway. In Bradford the transport infrastructure is such that they probably add far more than six minutes to journey times for freight. In contrast Leeds has much better links to the motorway network.
Im speaking as someone who at one time researched possible locations for a manufacturing operation (not here but in the south of England which was where the business started up). Journey times add massively to costs and transport disruptions that hold up or slow down deliveries of raw materials and impact on production are problematic. You also need access to good, well located warehousing to ensure that raw materials and finished product dont clutter up your factory (another factor that adds to costs because of the need to keep shifting things). Decent road infrastructure and off site warehouse/distributi
on centres are a must if Bradford wants to be a producer city. However, they may not be feasible at the scale required to be a ‘producer’ city that focuses on manufacturing as its raison d’etre. The topography is not suited to it. Some manufacturing is helpful but as the major thrust of future ambition for Bradford it looks like a non starter given its location, its topography and its abysmal road network.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:37 pm
[Deleted] 21st August 1:11 pm
0 [Deleted]
Last Updated: 21st August 8:44 pm
basil fawlty 21st August 1:35 pm
3 Depends what people are wanting. Bradford and Leeds are great cities but neither faired well in this poll.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:38 pm
Lord How-How and Why 21st August 1:58 pm
13 Leeds was above the half way mark which isn’t bad for a commercial centre with little in the way of scenic beauty. Bradford, Basil, came at the very bottom.
Last Updated: 21st August 10:38 pm
bradford321 21st August 1:58 pm
16 hardly surprising given it’s the crime capital of the North and all the dodgy driving that goes on!!
Last Updated: 21st August 11:49 pm
Apostate 21st August 3:15 pm
11
bradford321 wrote:hardly surprising given it’s the crime capital of the North and all the dodgy driving that goes on!!
I often wonder why, if I can drive home from work, witness three or four…or more astounding acts of poor driving, along with the pungent waft of skunk from almost every Audi and BMW….how do the police miss it.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:49 pm
bradford321 21st August 3:36 pm
2
Apostate wrote:
bradford321 wrote:hardly surprising given it’s the crime capital of the North and all the dodgy driving that goes on!!
I often wonder why, if I can drive home from work, witness three or four…or more astounding acts of poor driving, along with the pungent waft of skunk from almost every Audi and BMW….how do the police miss it.
not every Audi thank you! 😉
Last Updated: 21st August 10:38 pm
Charlie Sargent 21st August 3:50 pm
7 Have to agree, as a Biker I risk my life everyday leaving the city from Manningham to top of Manchester road, in fact as I leave the district and get to Brighouse I congratulate myself on surviving the journey out of the district, my Mrs hates me commuting on my bike, but its the quickest way out of the city.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:06 pm
The Return of Reason 21st August 4:15 pm
17 I see my comment about Bradford Grand Prix has been taken down. Just as another news story pops up today regarding a multi car crash in Bradford.
Would the VW involved be a Golf by chance?
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[Deleted] 21st August 4:17 pm
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Last Updated: 21st August 8:49 pm
DON’T BE FRIGHTENED OF THE SPIDER 21st August 4:40 pm
11 I hope our Councillors are proud of themselves
Last Updated: 21st August 11:06 pm
absw19 21st August 5:16 pm
11 Corruption,no law,drive as you like no documentation needed ,planning is a joke as is the council who would want to stay given the chance to get out.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:06 pm
pjbull 21st August 5:52 pm
12 Whilst the levels of criminality, abysmal driving, drug culture, etc are absolutely rife and undesirable in the city, I don’t think visitors to Bradford will necessarily pick up on that. What they will see is a big, dirty, run-down city. Council estates that 40 years ago housed decent house-proud residents (ok not all of the estates were) have been replaced by trashed, dilapidated, lawless estates. Other areas of the city, like Mannigham, that were beautiful, are desperately untidy and populated by utterly cheap/filthy commercial establishments. The city centre which once was home to large department stores is populated by empty units, betting shops or cheap discount stores. The population of the city comes near the bottom in the education league tables which does not bode well for regeneration. The university, too, is third rate. The lack of investment in the city from central government is a disgrace.
One has to look at both Bradford Council and our local MPs and insist that they be accountable for the utter inaction and ineptness. Irrespective of our political persuasion, we should send the message out to all of them, through de-selection, that rank incompetence and aiming to serve themselves by ingratiating themselves to sections of the city is not acceptable. We want people of courage, competence and utter integrity to stand up and stop the abject decline of this city. If we keep voting for these incompetents then we get what we deserve.
Finally, we should look at ourselves, the population, and ask ourselves why we allow our streets and shops to be litter-strewn and dilapidated. As Imam Hussain said, we should all be working together to make Bradford a better place.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:50 pm
Jackie Thompson 21st August 6:19 pm
5 A fabulous post pjbull.
Can I add that it is utterly tragic that subsections of the population are turning on each other and fomenting division between communities. We ordinary citizens are all victims of the incompetence and maladministration that has plagued Bradford over successive political administrations and we, as citizens need to stick together and challenge the Council.
Id also add though that access to Central Government funds is usually only via appropriate, competent, timely and properly evidenced bids. If Bradford Council has failed to succeed in attracting Government funding it is likely to be because it either didnt bid, didnt have its ducks lined up in a row prior to the funding announcements so it could shoot the bids in quickly or produced bids which were fudged to the extent that they lacked credibility.
To be consistently successful in attracting funding a Council has to be both competent and credible. One aspect of credibility is having a self-funded track record that puts in some foundations that the Government funding can build on. If Bradford cant attract Government funds it is time to look at why that is the case.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:07 pm
Corned beef 21st August 6:17 pm
8 The only surprise here is that a poll was needed
Last Updated: 21st August 11:07 pm
The_light 21st August 6:20 pm
8 “Bradford is UK’s ‘least favourite’ city” Not surprised at all and I can understand why it’s gained this unenviable title.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:07 pm
frozen pleas 21st August 7:56 pm
4 what a fantastic non surprise ..
Last Updated: 21st August 11:07 pm
Stone Hinge 21st August 10:14 am
50 Not really a surprise to the realists that populate these columns. I also suspect that it doesn’t come as a surprise to anybody with their head screwed on at City Hall.
It has been clear for some years now that, despite all the advantages we have on paper, serious investment shuns Bradford and that this going to continue until people’s perceptions (and they are perceptions) of Bradford change radically.
So Councillor Hinchcliffe, might I suggest that what Bradford needs is not more fantasy building building projects and Grade A office space but a fact and reality based PR campaign.
You could start by doing something about the character of the inner city wards, the size of the drug economy, the persistent low level criminality from poor driving to gaming the planning system and by breaking up the mono-culture that rings the centre of this unfairly maligned city of ours.
Last Updated: 21st August 11:42 pm