Fury over slur on city

Councillor Ian Greenwood was the first to hit back at her comments that Bradford's streets were litter-strewn and the buildings ugly.

She said: "Last month I went to Bradford, which used to be a dignified, proud city with immaculate streets and impressive Victorian architecture.

"The planners have knocked down buildings and replaced them with tacky ugliness, while the streets are among the filthiest in Britain.

"The disgusting streets of Bradford can inspire only anger, despair and hopelessness."

Lynda Lee-Potter, writing in the Daily Mail, says a Government campaign to tackle litter should begin in Bradford, "this vile and nasty place." And she advocates "savage penalties for local councils who allow their pavements to be knee-deep in junk".

But Coun. Greenwood said it was typical that a southern columnist should spend ten minutes in the city and make such judgements.

"It's clear to the people of Bradford that the streets are cleaner than they used to be," he said.

The city had taken second place in a national Tidy Britain award for the best management of waste and litter in the country. Coun Greenwood is to write on behalf of Bradford Council to the Miss Lee-Potter, inviting her to reconsider her views.

And today, the Tidy Britain group wrote to the Daily Mail, saying it was very unfair to single Bradford out. "Bradford has improved greatly in our latest survey. There's some good work the council has been doing," said a spokesman.

Bradford was named runner-up in the hotly-contested award for best management of litter and waste. The city had a variety of schemes in progress which had impressed the judges, said the spokesman, including clamping down on fly tipping, training for council staff about enforcing litter laws, and bringing different agencies together to tackle the problem.

Councillor Jack Womersley deputy chairman of the council's transportation, planning and design committee said Bradford was still a proud city with Grade One Listed City Hall which was one of Britain's finest buildings, the restored Grade One Listed Wool Exchange and the jewel in Bradford's crown, historic Little Germany, untouched by time.

Special squads had been brought in to clean up the city centre round the clock and Bradford had won the major Tidy Britain Award four years ago.

Jeff Frankel, Chairman of Bradford Retail Action Group, said: "Yes, we have got some problems which we hope the various agencies like cleansing will sort out after the many years of complaining.

"We have learned lessons and I hope we'll go on to a rosy future. A lot of the architecture is absolutely brilliant though."

He said there was despair but many organisations, including the Telegraph & Argus, were working to make it a better place.

Director of Bradford Chamber of Commerce Sandie Needham said: "I don't know when her visit was but I think the architecture still exists."

She said many beautiful Victorian buildings had remained, including "remarkable" City Hall.

She said: "We all want to see Central House removed but it has been there for a few decades and is going to be removed by developers."

She added there were many occasions when the national media covered Bradford negatively.

Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe admitted there were some pockets where work could be done but he said Little Germany and the multi-million pound extension to the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television showed it was a very proud city. "I am sad she has made these comments when everybody is working hard to improve the environment."

Councillor Keith Thomson (Lab, Wibsey), who chairs the council's waste management sub-committee, said: "This is some of the most remarkably negative and ill-informed journalism."

Lynda Lee Potter was unavailable for comment this morning. Her secretary at the Daily Mail said she was out of London and could not be contacted.

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