PRESS RELEASE
Issued by:
Councillor
Phil Gilchrist
Date of Issue: 6th March 2006
Contact: 0151
334 1923
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PRESS RELEASE |
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‘TIME FOR A SPRING CLEAN', SAYS COUNCILLOR Eastham Councillor Phil Gilchrist has sent pictures of defaced utility boxes to cable operator NTL with the message ‘Clean up your cabinets'. "Ever since the Cable companies installed their cables and cabinets there has been a problem", says Phil Gilchrist,"and it isn't improving. "There are well over 2000 NTL cabinets in Wirral alone. The vast majority in my community are badly defaced. "It's not the company's fault that their boxes get defaced, but they must get on top of this". Most of the black metal cabinets are in prominent locations, usually near street corners. "The black background and prominent locations are targets for graffiti artists who have created an eyesore. Local people live with this mess day after day. That's why there has to be a concerted effort. "Of course repainting them could provide a tempting blank canvas for these artists. That's why repainting with specialist coatings would be the best answer. "NTL have responded, in the past, by cleaning off particularly offensive wording, but ‘tags' and ‘signatures' do not fall into that category, but still need tackling. "Residents have pride in their community. They look after their property and look out for their neighbours. These boxes are privately owned but are an eyesore in the public realm.” Faced with this problem, in December 2004, Wirral's Environment and Transportation Select Committee endorsed proposals to continue negotiations with the owners of utility cabinets. They hoped to secure partnership agreements in respect of maintenance and anti-graffiti measures. There has been limited progress since. Due to the scale of the problem NTL are prepared to respond to particular problems, or the worst cases. No general programme of work seems to exist, though some councils have been able to use wider powers to force improvements. "The problem", says Phil Gilchrist, "cannot be removed by picking off odd cabinets because it‘s now so widespread. You go round one corner and there's the next one”. Engineers at Wirral Borough Council's Technical Services Department have emailed NTL with pictures (recently taken by Councillor Gilchrist) of typical boxes in his neighbourhood, with a request for action. “These are just examples”, says Phil Gilchrist. “I'm hoping for a response to these and a wider commitment to action. I know painting costs money. I know it's not NTL's fault, but they must recognise they have a part to play.”
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