Alley Gating - Problem solved or another created?

One of the many issues I have been dealing with when talking to local people is alley gating.

Alley gating is popular with many residents. Gates can help improve security for householders, preventing easy access for burglars to the backs of properties. Gates can also stop people from dumping rubbish in our alleyways.

I am also aware that in some areas where there are a lot of privately rented houses landlords do not always pass on the keys which means residents don’thave access to the alleyways and leave their bins out on the street, which can have a negative impact on the local area.

In the Northmoor Road area I met with Community Guardian Liz, who has one of the cleanest and best kept alley ways I have seen. How has she achieved this? By working together with her neighbours, asking them to help out and making sure they all have keys and take their bins to the back of their properties once they have been emptied.

More and more Longsight residents are asking for gates at the back of their properties because they realise the benefits outweigh the negatives.

Alley gates are successful when local residents work together and take pride in their street, like the street that Liz lives in. They can be a beacon to other streets in the area and part of the process of raising standards and working together as a community to make us all Proud of Longsight.