COUNCILLORS in Stalybridge have urged Tameside Council to admit there is a begging problem before tackling it.
They also claim the amount of graffiti in the town centre is doing it down.
Representatives from both sides of the political divide voiced their concerns to John Gregory, the authority’s head of community safety and homelessness and youth services.
One particular problem is the number of beggars seen outside supermarkets amid suggestions those doing are in fact servicing drug debts.
Conservative councillor Liam Billington said: “In Stalybridge, we have a number of beggars operating outside supermarkets.
“It’s been a real bugbear of mine, but nothing seems to have been done about it.
“I know for a fact this is being operated by drug gangs where people are essentially collecting money for drug debts and they’re being placed there by gangs.
“Nothing’s being done about this. It’s an illegal activity, is anything being done about that?”
Labour’s Cllr Dave Sweeton went further, adding: “People outside supermarkets are not homeless people.
“Tesco’s management are pulling their hair out saying, ‘It’s a disgrace’. They’re having to be spat at trying to move people on and nothing is being done.
“You can’t solve a problem unless you admit, ‘We have a problem here’. It’s big and it’s real.”
Mr Gregory countered Cllr Billington, saying: “I’ll strongly challenge you about the fact nothing’s being done, contact is made any time anyone is seen begging.
“We can succeed with individuals. It might not be you see anything being done but there’s a lot of work being done. Ultimately, though, people have a choice. We’re playing the long game.”
The other issue brought up by Stalybridge councillors is the amount of graffiti that is appearing in the town centre.
Cllr Billington added: “In Stalybridge there’s a massive problem with graffiti, what are the youth service doing about that? It’s doing our town centres down.”
Mr Gregory agreed it is doing the town centre down but highlighted the number of issues his team and Greater Manchester Police’s neighbourhood police officers deal with and the work they are doing.
He added: “It’s very difficult to pin it down to one issue. There are hundreds we deal with
“Neighbourhood officers have had a pretty rough 12 months. They’ve been taken away from a lot of the neighbourhood policing work in order to do Covid enforcement.
“But we’re going to develop a neighbourhood strategy.
“There has been a significant increase in anti-social behaviour complaints since the start of lockdown.
“People are failing to put up with neighbours, there has been a huge increase in neighbourhood disputes over the last 12 months.”
Cllr Billington, though, was not impressed with Mr Gregory’s assertion over the begging issue.
He said: “There was a lot of fluffy language with very little action. We need more heavy handedness.
“These people are causing misery for law abiding citizens of our community. We should be supporting those people, that’s my view. These are the victims we should be protecting.”