SOUTHAMPTON? City of culture? Is this a wind-up?

Let’s put it in perspective. It should have been if a greedy council hadn’t sold it to the university!

Years ago Ocean Village was delightful, with the old houses, etc. Now every piece of land is student flats with broken, cracked pavements, down-and-outs in most doorways, old red phone boxes used as lavatories, broken glass and rubbish everywhere.

If the planners had eased flats on suburbs or on university land, left the medieval walls alone, left Ocean Village alone... what a difference there could have been.

Southampton council, start by getting a litter crew, get all pavements repaired. And take a look at high street shops which are closing, Toys R Us is now gone! Opposite the Debenhams building there is work going on... don’t tell us more student flats...

Maggie Rickards

Southampton

l I REFER to the article in Wednesday’s Daily Echo regarding Southampton’s City of Culture bid.

One paragraph by Councillor Letts stated “Our strategy will be to use not old civil servants but the young people of the community that are going to benefit from the experience”.

So that speaks volumes of the council’s attitude to the not-so-young in the community, as it will be geared around the young, not the old. I expect the council will happily use money from council tax which we pay, yet we won’t get a say in the matter.

I was born in this city and am 72 years of age, there is nothing in this town centre for the older generation and it looks like there won’t be in the future.

This should be discussed with young, middle and older people, not just the younger generation.

Many of us have not yet got one foot in the grave.

J.Gonzalez

Sholing

l IF BIDDING to be UK City of Culture 2025 means Southampton will receive a much needed makeover then I support the bid!

Fix our roads, smarten up the suburbs, not just the city centre, get the accumulated rubbish, litter and fly-tipping removed, and repairing the broken pavements would be an excellent start. That alone will probably take until 2025!

Then there is always education, social care, law and order, housing, air pollution to fill in the gaps.

Denise Wyatt, leader of Southampton independents has a good idea, saying money should be spent on getting the basics right. Hear hear.

On Thursday, May 3, things might just change for the better in this city!

Richard A Jacob

Southampton