I WENT to Bournemouth town centre this morning to see if it really has changed since my last visit.

Oh my word, Bournemouth council and town centre landlords you really should bow your heads in shame.

Through greed from high rents and rates we have an uncared for and unloved town centre.

Closed shops everywhere, uncared for roads, graffiti on buildings – my heart sank.

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The council may want to blame the reduction in government funding but when you manage to find enough money to paint buildings with murals, invest in cycle lanes and have less skilled manual workers out in the field then, yes, it is 100 per cent your fault.

We need graffiti to be removed from all sites; we need lamp posts to be painted (they look dreadful); we need to make our neglected roundabouts look neat and tidy again.

We need more people keeping the weeds off our pavements which look depressing; we need change and it has to come from you; we need investment in indoor entertainment for families.

We need less members of the team behind desks having meetings to discuss the lack of funding and more ‘on the ground’ workers going out into the community to actually solve the problems.

We deserve to have our town back again; we deserve to be able to welcome visitors to our town safe in the knowledge that they will return; we deserve to see our town thrive again.

Trying to pass the buck constantly is not the answer.

’Manning up’ and taking responsibility is the only way forward – we are tired of waiting BCP.

BARBARA EDWARDS

Romney Close, Bournemouth