UBC October 2025 - Manchester: no Bins, no Benches, plenty to think about

I wasn’t heavily involved in planning this trip. As it turned out, neither had the others been doing much preparation ;-) Be it as it may, I had no expectations for the two large British cities we were going to visit apart from London.

What did I know about Manchester and Liverpool? Well, Manchester has two famous football clubs, and there was an Islamic terrorist attack at the Ariana Grande concert a few years ago. That’s about it.

Liverpool, on the other hand, is home to another famous football club, and, of course, the Beatles.

If I had to guess, both cities suffered economically in the aftermath of WWII, and certain policies during the Thatcher era, especially privatization and cuts to public services, may have made recovery slower.

Speaking of ministers, we had a yummy dinner at Pieminister.

I can’t believe I didn’t take a photo of my meal, so here’s one from a few days later. Just mentally remove the veggies. 

In the ten days we ate across the UK, we barely got any vegetables or fresh produce. Meat and potatoes, preferably fried, every day. I gained two kilos (four pounds). More about food in a later post.

The restaurant is located in the Northern Quarter, renowned for its vibrant arts scene, independent shops, and eclectic atmosphere. Never in my life have I seen so many people with multiple hair colors, piercings, tattoos, and quirky outfits in one place!

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Exiting Manchester Piccadilly train station, the first thing I noticed was: there are no trash cans. I couldn’t find anywhere to throw away my empty water bottle and sandwich wrapper from the train change in London, so I took them to the hotel.

As we walked into the city center, the lack of bins and benches continued. Not even in park-like areas. My teenage son, dryly and ironically, explained that the authorities thought removing benches and bins would “keep the bums away.” Wow.

Upon researching, I found some ugly and some encouraging facts:

Metal studs and spikes outside high-end stores like Selfridges and upscale buildings like Pall Mall Court were installed to prevent sleeping by rough sleepers. After protests, some were removed, but the reality is that if every nook is made uninhabitable, homeless people still end up in front of businesses and coffee shops.

On the positive side, Manchester’s Housing First program provides intensive, person-centered, open-ended support to help individuals rebuild their lives in permanent homes, emphasizing choice, control, and harm reduction. The program has shown promise in reducing homelessness and improving quality of life.

I hope the program continues and expands to other cities. It frustrates me when governments don’t do their job of serving all citizens. Sure, some people can’t be helped or don’t accept support, but please try, and try hard.

Another observation: By around 7 pm, many businesses were closing and securing their premises with heavy-duty metal shutters. Restaurants often closed by 9 or 10 pm on weekdays; earlier than I expected for a metro area of almost 3 million people. And yet, Manchester produces more multi-millionaires than anywhere outside London;  quite a contrast!

Major companies in Manchester include JD Sports and The Co-operative Group, tech offices for Google, Amazon, and Booking.com, and multinational presences like Unilever, Kellogg’s, Adidas, Nike, and Siemens. Perhaps the office campuses have gold-plated trash cans and benches?

All in all, I clearly haven’t explored the city enough to see every side, but the absence of bins and benches was remarkable.

Have you ever noticed actively hostile architecture like anti-homeless spikes and a lack of public seating and disposal options anywhere else in the world?