“The thing about Little Hulton is, we are forgotten about, no one is mithered about us,” says Karl Landauro, taking a sip of coffee sitting outside Flatwhite Cafe.
It’s a Wednesday afternoon and Little Hulton’s shopping precinct is getting busy, despite a drizzle of rain and threatening grey clouds in the sky.
The mix of shops in the district centre all seem full with customers, next to bookmakers and a row of flats.
Karl is 39 and grew up nearby, but says problems with drugs and anti-social behaviour are massively affecting the community.
The area, he claims, is a place where people sort their own problems out, and don’t necessarily trust the police or other authorities to help.
The estate is located within the boundaries of Salford, but feels a world away from the shining-glass towers which make up Greengate and MediaCity.
It saw a boost in population after Salford’s post-war slum clearances, which saw families from inner-city areas move to new homes.
“Little Hulton was the overflow of Salford, so people came here when Salford got too built up,” Karl adds.
“We’ve always been on the back-burner. I grew up here in the 80s but now there are more knives around and things like that.
“People here need mental health support and help with drug addiction. There are problems on a daily basis.”
In a couple of hours spent chatting at the shopping precinct, it became clear that people in the neighbourhood are feeling fed up.
Many said they want more things to do for their kids, who often end up hanging out on the streets out of boredom.
Some families in Little Hulton are struggling just to get by. According to data from Resolve Poverty, nearly 40 per cent of kids in Little Hulton are living in poverty, compared to seven pc in Boothstown and Ellenbrook, another area of Salford.
Changes are taking place to try and improve things in Little Hulton though.
The shopping precinct recently benefited from half a million pounds of funding for a new public square.
It was paid for by Salford council and ForHousing as a way to ‘strengthen community pride’ in the area.
Rob Sharpe is a councillor in Little Hulton and says it does have its problems, but pointed out that projects by the council and its partners are taking place to try and make things better for residents.
Earlier this year for example, the council asked people in the area for their views on improvements to the play areas at Peel Park, with proposals for new equipment.
Coun Sharpe also highlighted the delivery of a new school and medical centre in Little Hulton in recent years, as well as works taking place for road resurfacing.
“It’s a big area for deprivation,” the local councillor said. “As for being forgotten, when the council had money it was able to do a bit more, but now we’ve not got as much, and people see that.
“If you go to Walkden, people there may say they feel forgotten, people in Swinton too, it all stems from that.
“I know there’s a bit of dissatisfaction, but I think the vast majority of people like Little Hulton, there’s just a few people that bring it down, that’s always been the main thing.”
But there were questions from residents about whether the recent improvements, including the public square, would tackle the sorts of issues people are experiencing in the area.
Anthony Turton is 28 and has lived in Little Hulton all his life. He said: “It has its ups and downs. Sometimes it’s gotten better, other times you just wish you could move away and start fresh.
“There is a lot of anti-social behaviour around Little Hulton. No one at the council seems to realise it, we’re like the black sheep of Manchester.”
He welcomed more investment though, and said people want to see improvements happening.
Back inside Flatwhite Cafe, two workers were busy preparing drinks but found a moment to stop and chat.
Both were uncomfortable sharing their names, saying they were worried it could lead to backlash.
One of them said: “We need more police out on the streets because people are scared to go out at night.
“The council has never asked the people on here what needs doing. They’re putting a lot of new buildings up in Salford and Manchester, but we do feel forgotten about here.”
Georgia, 36, walks into the cafe. She said she’s often intimidated by the area, and has thought about leaving.
“I’ve got two kids and I worry about them going out, you don’t know who is out there. I have looked into moving to Cornwall when the kids have left college. There’s crime everywhere but it’s just the level of it here.”
Another man aged 55 stops to speak, but also worries about giving his name.
He says he has faced problems with crime in Little Hulton, having to put six steel bolts on his door as an added measure of security.
“It’s a containment zone, if you live here you just want to get away,” he added. “It’s been caused by successive governments not listening to the people who live here, and the council too. The investment never filters down to us.”
For its part, ForHousing said the investment in Little Hulton’s shopping precinct was made with local people in mind.
Nigel Sedman, executive director of homes at ForHousing, said: “We’ve worked hand-in-hand with local groups and partners to bring this vision to life. This project is about creating safer, more welcoming places that reflect local pride and potential.
“With support from Salford City Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Contor, and the Little Hulton community, together we’ve created lasting improvements that will benefit the neighbourhood for years to come.”
Greater Manchester Police also said it is active in the area.
It said a recent operation in Little Hulton over 12 months led to 67 arrests through a variety of means, including door-smashing warrants, proactive neighbourhood patrols, and intel-gathering regarding ongoing criminal offences.
Detective Inspector Rebecca McGuigan, from GMP’s Salford Challenger Team, said about the operation: “The work being done in Little Hulton has seen multiple arrests, resulting in charges for offences ranging from drugs to weapons.
“Working closely with our partners in the community, we have been able to ensure repeat offenders are closely monitored by everyone from housing to local PCSOs, meaning they can receive the appropriate warning, notice, or punishment.”
Coun Teresa Pepper said: “As Councillor for Little Hulton, I am proud to work for local people and I will continue to work hard for them and the community to bring further investment to the area. The people that I speak to have shared positive feedback on the investments and improvements that are being made in the area. A great deal of that is from working closely with young people and residents as we work together to become a UNICEF Child Friendly City.
“Specifically, activity has included investment with partners in the bike pump track and at Cruyff Court at Peel Park, as well as working jointly with ForHousing investing in refurbishing the district centre into a modern community space recently and to replace play equipment at Peel Park in autumn this year.
“In addition, there are youth clubs in the area run by SCC Youth Service, the charity Community Little Hulton and the Den in Walkden, which are well attended by young people from Little Hulton and also the new Salford Youth Zone has over 50 young people from Little Hulton registered. The council is also part funding holiday active communities and activities provided by Salford Community Leisure, which currently have over 200 young people from the local area taking part.”
Coun Barbara Bentham, lead member for neighbourhoods, environment and community safety at Salford council, said: “We work closely with our partners in the community to improve safety across the city, which is not unique to Salford and is a national issue.
“As part of our commitment to ‘Creating places where people want to live’ our efforts are clearly focused on improving the attractiveness and safety of local neighbourhoods through reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.
“This means ensuring all our neighbourhoods and town centres are attractive, safe, healthy and accessible places for people to live. Collectively, we are resolute in making sure that we do all we can to make our communities feel safer and invest in services that benefit our residents.”
