24/07/2026
When did we all become ok with mediocrity?
In the good weather I have been taking more strolls down the town. The short walk from Eglinton Street, along the Number 11 bus route, through to Bridgegate isn't far. But in that tiny stretch alone, I'd guess there are more than 15 huge, empty, overpriced commercial units. All decaying. A discussion for another day.
I think we're suffering from what I'd call trickle-down apathy. When the people responsible for looking after our town seem to stop, then everyone else's expectations slowly start to fall. We stop questioning it. We stop expecting better. Eventually, neglect stops looking shocking and starts looking normal.
On that same short walk, there are sections of road that are literally caving in. I know plenty of people, including myself, who've damaged their cars on potholes big enough to lose a wheel in.
And that's only the visible part of the problem. It's the tip of a very large iceberg that we're all staring at, yet somehow seem content to drift towards.
How has any of this become acceptable?
Don't get me wrong. There are good people in this town. Lots of them. You're one of them. I also understand that feeling of thinking, "What can I actually do?" or "Whose job is it to fix this?" But isn't that exactly why we have a council? To maintain and to look after? To spend the money we all contribute in a way that leaves the place better than they found it?
Instead, it feels like too many of the people making the decisions are detached from the reality we're walking through every day. While senior officials are paid significant salaries, residents are left stepping around crumbling pavements, empty shopfronts and streets that don't only look neglected, they are fully neglected. They're not taking walks through the town, because if they were they'd be faced with their failings.
So where are the councillors who were elected to represent us? Where are the voices challenging these standards?
Somewhere along the line, we've started accepting the absolute bare minimum as normality. Every month, I'm sure you pay a pretty hefty direct debit labelled CTAX. You'll likely pay Road Tax. For what? Surely the very least we should expect is clean streets?
Is how towns die? Not through one catastrophic event, but through thousands of people quietly accepting that mediocrity is just the way things are?
Sincerely, fed up.
