Written for Twitter to reach Bradford's online community.
Where we were, where we are, where we could be. Three distinct identities that differ vastly from each other. We’re no longer the industrial powerhouse we once were, neither are we a contemporary utopia of modern-day city living. Where we are right now is plagued by social mores: poverty, crime, inequality, and worst of all a national reputation that stinks to high heaven. We have been let down by our leaders, locally and nationally, to represent Bradford for what is actually is - fantastic.
We have the same problems as every other major city but yet ours overrepresent in the wider image of who we are. We are a people that pulls ourselves up by our bootstraps. We see opportunity in even the most unlikely of places. Boundless creativity bubbles in every postcode. We have the best sense of humour and prioritise our humanity above all else. Yes, we have our let-downs - our racists, our sexists, our utter pricks. But our collective kindness far outweighs all of them.
Our council is full of people with the best intentions working with outdated technology and stupid policies and procedures. Don’t get me started on the Midland Road Recycling Centre. We can do better. The silly little incompetencies can be ironed out with the right motivation and capable workforce. All councils, particularly northern ones, particularly labour-led northern ones, are severely oppressed by a central government who demand the earth but deny the resources required to even scratch the surface.
We have too many tiny, uninhabitable flats in our city centre and a lack of big businesses who are too turned off by our reputation. There is an over-reliance on a shaky retail sector that has already left half of our city centre abandoned over the past ten years. We are not alone in this but the lack of appreciating the bigger picture and a clear vision for Bradford, the habitual granting of quick wins, does nothing for us in the long run.
The rendering factory that stands proud in BD3 has saturated childhood memories of Bradford with the stench of melting animal parts, a cloud that to this day descends upon and bathes our city centre in “bone, fat, offal and gut. Hides, skins, hooves and horns”. A grotesque metaphor for our present self-esteem problem.
Many of us have great aspirations for Bradford, including the late and great Will Alsop, whose vision for our city centre was published in the Telegraph & Argus when I was little but made such an impression that I kept the article for years afterwards. We need investment that looks beyond ROI and the bottom line. We need investment that doesn’t require us to sell our identity to larger neighbouring cities. We need to invest in ourselves and our communities, to take collective action in all areas of life: living, working, and playing.
This doesn’t just happen through refurbishment of our material building and spaces, it happens in community hubs, schools, places of worship, pubs, sporting fields and centres. We need to infuse our everyday activities with a love and appreciation for a city that sticks up for us. We shouldn’t be desperate to rush home to our outer-suburb semis after a reluctant trip to Bradford city centre because we didn’t have time to go to Leeds. We shouldn’t be telling our wider networks that we’re from Leeds. We are from Bradford and we need to learn to be proud of ourselves and where we come from.
We need to educate ourselves and our children about the makeup of our population in Bradford, and the various histories that have created our dynamic and diverse community. We need to reference colonialism alongside industrialism. We need to talk about the consequences of capitalism and urbanisation on cities that are not propped up by the economic and social elite. The lack of understanding of all these things leave our people confused and angry about how we got here as a city, with many keen to flee at the earliest opportunity.
Potential means nothing without action and that action needs to start right now. We need a Bradford-centric manifesto that is beholden to no-one. Ultimately, transforming Bradford is not about money, it is about people, and it’s up to us to get cracking.