Birkenhead - One of the Poorest Towns in England

[@windsorSJ]

I was born in the 50's so I've seen a lot of changes and I'm sad to see what it has become. The council have gutted this town. It all started when Hamilton Square traffic flow was changed. Hamilton Square was like a legal hub with all the buildings occupied by offices and businesses to supply those offices. The council killed the businesses by changing traffic flow in the squaret and by doing so killed that part of town. A giant swathe of land was cleared for a dock regeneration scheme 25yrs ago displaced 100's of families and the ground is still barren. I've got a story for you all. I live in Birkenhead in a street of terraced houses. At the bottom of the street there is a small patch of grass with about 5 mature trees on it and it is used regularly by dog walkers and kids and sometimes small street parties. It's a nice patch of green amongst all the bricks. Around the perimeter is a 4ft fence made of sturdy iron and could easily last for 100yrs or more. Well, Wirral council has decided to get rid of that fence and replace it with a 6ft sheet of steel mesh, which probably won't last 10yrs. The work has been going on all week and it will go into next week. A team of 4 men every day plus the tools, equipment and materials would cost many thousands and all for nothing. Meanwhile the council is closing libraries and cutting services right across the borough whilst also introducing 20mph zones. But I love Birkenhead and the people who live here, they are my people.

[@ROBOK2K7]

Having a greedy Corrupt Council certainly hasn’t helped Birkenhead over the last few years.

[@elliotlambert3817]

you think that this corruption has been going on since the seventies when Margret hated the north west and with held all due aid and tax.

[@karatefella]

They have let Birkenhead become a crap-hole while building themselves two brand new office blocks a stones throw away from all the shops which have closed down.

[@gbwildlifeuk8269]

​@@karatefella not mention tens of thousands paid to a contractor for NOT building a hotel for golfers at hoylake, when they discovered consent wasnt granted but they agreed to pay the contractor regardless of the outcome! Millions on a flood defence at west kirby - thats never flooded! Cycle lane at fender lane that bottlenecks the traffic at the lights and emergency services cant get through! 20mph on roads then they were resurfaced needing 20mph putting on again! Theyre in special measures for incompetant use of council funds, (along with other labour councils) how will they manage the countrys' money if they win the election? Bunch of clowns.

[@martinoneill4857]

How much does the contractor give back in brown envelopes. Only reason why I can think of the council still pays them, they gain.

[@mattyy101]

There are plenty of decent towns near there..

[@lynnglidewell7367]

Not knowing much if anything about how things work in The U.K. here in The U.S. in the 2020s poor cities such as Detroit are experiencing a resurgence as young people move to the area buying up cheap properties then restoring them and opening various enterprises. They also buy surrounding homes and neighborhoods restoring them as well, or turning them into Green spaces for parks or even farming and community gardening. The key is making the property cheap to purchase so these young investors will be willing to take the chance. It has worked remarkably well on this side of the pond.

[@terrydobbins928]

Get rid of the council and stop the bloody parking charges

[@peterscotney1]

I always found the Wirral to be a very contrasting place , on the one hand you have the picturesque side with parkgate , thurstaston etc on the southwest side and then the industrial Birkenhead n Wallasey on the other side !

[@joeswift2106]

Its like game of thrones

[@PhotoWirral]

The M53 divide 👍

[@lefthandlee]

Have you ever been to wallasey its got a massive coastline aswell

[@DudeSilad]

Wallasey has a lot of people with money. Like anywhere you have poverty but people tend to be very house proud. Take a look at houses for sale in Wallasey. They tend to be immaculate inside.

[@elizabethdunn2992]

I live in Higher Tranmere & I love it. I love Birkenhead. ❤️

[@adrianbenn7250]

Any single mates for me near Birkenhead Patk? 😁😊

[@PiggyGuru123]

Cringe ​@@adrianbenn7250

[@denisereynolds2399]

This was depressing viewing. I live in Birkenhead and a lot of the pictures on here are not from Birkenhead. How many times did you say it’s the most in deprived in all England. Come on it’s not that bad seriously. All these pictures showed streets without ppl. This Birkenhead is my home, and it’s not as bad as your making it out to be. There are lots of places that have poverty and struggles , but Birkenhead does have a lot to offer if you really knew Birkenhead

[@garyrigby21]

i agree! Birkenhead is NOT that Poor! and some of the photos on here are of Liverpool city centre

[@markthomas7279]

I think the north end is pretty eye opening!

[@KyouJah42069]

I'm from the Nocky and work in birkenhead and the main issue i see with poverty in the area is low educated people, lazy people who just want to sit off on the dole, too many dealers and too many unguided people who just genuinely don't know what to do with themselves.

[@capnjackgallows3204]

One word. Thatcher. She destroyed birkenhead and tried to do the same with liverpool. Hasnt been the same since.

[@mikecasey5328]

At last someone who knows what was the reason. Well in.

[@stevenm9067]

Grew up on Wirral in 70s and 80s but still visit. Used to be busy for shopping but most of shops moved out. I doubt if you even gave incentives to shops to move back they would as Cheshire Oaks and the Croft which also has industrial units are the bigger draws.

[@peterbowman7502]

What a dreadfully poor commentary. Ok so its poor and deprived, but how many times did you repeat it! It's main problem is probably deindustrialisation and a number of problems caused ironically by EU membership. Cammel Lairds suffered from EU rules and patterns of trade changes also changed.

[@salkoharper2908]

Yeah i'm sure the town will now be made great again by Brexit. Just keep holding your breath for the next 300 years. If you think the town is going to be improved by the same political party that started deindustrialisation in the first palce then i've got a bridge to sell you. Ironic how just across the sea, a ferry trip away, Dublin is thriving. Why do you think that is?

[@StewartWalker-hy1eo]

Spot on because Cammell Lairds Welded the first Aircraft Carrier and made the first one with an angled deck

[@mid-walesrover681]

This video just skims the surface and does not examine Birkenhead's wider context in Wirral and the Liverpool city region. Look just a bit deeper to discover the resilience, energy and pride of the people who live there.

[@garyrigby21]

Birkenhead is not even this Poor! Look at Bebington! and as you say it's Part of the Liverpool city region

[@paulnsno7198]

@@garyrigby21 Bebington is not Birkenhead! Birkenhead is the town and centre, the North End, the Prenton, Woodchurch, Ford, Tranmere, Upton and Noctorum estates have always been Birkenhead and many are the suburbs. New ferry and Bebington are not, same for Bromborough and Eastham.

[@mrooney714]

Rock ferry is also in Birkenhead, and tbf not many people class the woody, nocky, ford, upton as birkenhead either@@paulnsno7198

[@l3awjawz]

​@@paulnsno7198 I always found it hard to tell what was part of Birkenhead and what was outside the town. For instance, I always thought that Rock Ferry, Tranmere, Prenton and Bidston were separate places from Birkenhead.

[@paulnsno7198]

@@l3awjawz I missed out Rock Ferry. Upton and Bidston are on the outskirts.

[@minimaxi802]

Birkenhead and neighbouring Wallasey may be poor but just ten miles away are West Kirby and Heswall on the Dee side of the Wirral. Croft Drive in Caldy is a very quiet road with million pound houses.

[@st.sullivan.538]

I have recently moved to Birkenhead, and despite it's obvious poverty, it remains a good place to live. It possesses much fine architecture and many grand old buildings, but sadly many now sit derelict. The area desperately needs meaningful investment, but it is very hard to see where that will now come from, after Britain's tragic decision to leave the E.U.

[@stevenjoy3537]

Yeah because it received millions from the EU over the last couple of decades

[@TruthTeller144]

Leaving the EU is not the problem, why people keep saying that is stupid. The problem lies with Corrupt Politician's and Councillor's keeping money from the place and probably pocketing it too!

[@mikefoley360]

Where do you think the eu got the money from? Clowns....

[@theshamanarchist5441]

Brexit was the best thing to happen to this country since Lord Sandwich invented portable food.

[@joebloggs9719]

Why would we need to give money to the eu to for them to give it back to us for investment.

[@teggsy2165]

Wirral Council can not unblock grids brush streets prune trees or repair a pot hole to last more than about a week,when you do not sweep roads brush up leaves grids block roads flood and sewage even comes out of some grids because nothing works anymore as far a drainage goes by us,not pruning trees means more leaves from bigger leaf mass,Liscard has so many grids blocked because rubbish builds up,the way they repair roads nowadays is even pathetic Walked up Manor Road Liscard and they are filling cracks in the tarmac and all up the road looks like a child has patched it up today. They cut corners so much Wirral is broken. Rubish on the Motorways here is the worst ive seen hard shoulders do not get cleaned up for months and road signs are not readable as in too dirty or buried in overgrown verges. It's third World stuff going on under our Council now.

[@Coneman3]

It’s up north so doesn’t count.

[@ianphillips9455]

Go check how much money has been taken from WBC and like all northern councils then struggle to carry out services meanwhile southern councils have gained most of the money taken from the north.

[@bertspeggly4428]

One advantage of being poor is that the old Victorian buildings tend to survive, and hopefully there will be enough money someday to restore them to their former glory.

[@tedoneilclark4710]

The lottery fund will take care of that as they are very good at restoring buildings that are for show and not actually for people to live in.

[@tessajowett6973]

Not any different to many small towns in the UK. Birkenhead has some amazing buildings and a fantastic history. The town centre is a bit dead but I love the place, a damn sight better than many other small towns that live in the shadow of a big city,

[@soapyd35]

The council are about to abandon many of these historic buildings as they've paid £9 million pounds for new accommodation. And Birkenhead is skint? Not the council

[@maniacalkevo]

Need to crack down on these Turkish barbers and car washes all trading cash only sales so they can say they only washed one car or only had 2 haircuts that day

[@autisticdrone.]

The Wirral council have currently chosen to spend vasts sums of money on their nice new big office block, instead of regeneration projects. They are a tad incompetent at many simple tasks, and cut corners. The roads are a classic example, lots of pot holes and sunken grids to snap your springs. Recently they Re-dressed the roads; ( Dumping loose stones on the road and a bit of tar instead of proper resurfacing) The results are a poor repair. Their workmen resurfaced some public footpaths recently, and made a right mess off it. They have started their war on motorists with unnecessary 20mph speed limits that are not near schools. In this video, Not all the photos are from the Wirral .

[@ianphillips9455]

Like most places in the North, Wirral has had Millions of pounds taken from it by central government over 3.3 Billion £s has been taken from Northern councils meanwhile Southern councils have gained about 3 billion pounds at the same time so maybe better to blame the right people that also introduced laws that meant that lots of council services are handed to private companies that just so happen to be connected to the "right" people.

[@pantani9886]

My friend has to travel from Plymouth to there to do some work! He got back yesterday, and said it was really bad! On Saturday night he went across the river, and said everywhere was packed.

[@IanTdob1966]

I clearly know more about Birkenhead, than the person or persons who produced this tat! Firstly try not using images from Wallasey and Liverpool, they are not Birkenhead! Secondly spouting Wirral Borough Council propaganda doesn't help your cause, have you ever actually spoken to anyone from Birkenhead? I suggest you learn to research your subject thoroughly before putting out your inane drivel.

[@JOHNOGRADY-un2ft]

the town is bin,possibly a reflection of the rest of of our glorious Great Britain.i feel for the lovely people that live there,and the rest of this broken land...

[@technretro7115]

Well if this video was created 2 months ago given the youtube date then its at best inaccurate. Some of the pictures are years out of date and others are not of Birkenhead but of Liverpool. The town does require regeneration and that is currently underway despite the labour controlled council, including Mr Whitley not giving coherent replies to concerns and the Council getting extentions to deadlines of them not spending leveling up funds. That's not the issue with this video. Learning Canteen appear to be nothing more than a hit piece channel and their research is nothing more than a 30 minute Google search linking to a majority of old pictures and other KZbin snippets. Its poor content at best and quoting the BBC certainly won't get you any bonus points as after a long list of journalistic inaccuracies their spokes lady for disinformation, Marianas Spring has just been outed for telling lies on her CV to get a job in journalism capacity.

[@PeninsulaPaintingProjects]

Yeah I don't believe the stats they're quoting

[@ermervandal]

not entirely accurate also many pictures of liverpool... thats not birkenhead

[@peterdarnell9183]

Exactly how long has the albertdock been in Birkenhead?

[@mikdune2038]

@@peterdarnell9183 Best thing about Birkenhead is the view of Liverpool

[@fgm1197]

Lived there over 20 years ago for 1 month as part of an apprenticeship student exchange program. It was really nice and peaceful back then...😞

[@brianthesnail1234]

as a town birkenhead is ok but its been let down by a greedy and corrupt labour council .... but until you have lived in birkenhead you are in the position to make a statement like this ... we have lost several shops due to the insane rents .... the market use to be one of the best in the uk.... so blame the council .. pure and simple !😡😡😡

[@TR0G]

The rot set in when Birkenhead became a part of Merseyside. I left mid 70's and reckon I got out just in time.

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Consecutive Labour councils and councillors are keeping Birkenhead poor.

[@ianphillips9455]

Total rubbish the government has taken over 3.3 billion £s from northern councils and at the same time given that much to southern councils.

[@Jimmyh111]

As a born and bred Birkenhead man 56 years old.. This town has been like this for the last 100 years at least and I am not joking. I moved away for better living but I miss my family so much and I am stuck between a rock and roll and a hard place now I've been away for 37 years. I love my family but I don't think I could go back due to the fact that the council have never once put a penny into this town. We are labelled criminals and thugs??. I call it survival It's the politicians who are the criminals because it's obvious that they are putting the money in their own pockets. It's so sad seeing people who are the salt if the earth being slow killed . I have grown up hardened due to the common purpose that runs through Birkenhead and the people are pawns to keep the judicial system running.. It's a bloody crime and people have suffered long enough now in this town and it's time for change. This just made me cry 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@geotj58]

The whole town of Birkenhead was and has been ruined by planners, councilers and piss head drug dealers and dole scroungers who surround the town centre , the rest of the wirral is a great place to live. I'am Born and bred in Birkenhead (boro' road 1958 ) but feel a shame of the low live scum that blight this once great town,

[@davidphillips4063]

The situation in Birkenhead is symptomatic of the breakdown of society in Britain as a whole. The grammar school I attended there as a boy is gone, so too the comprehensive with which we were merged. The church I attended stands derelict against the sky. The hall where I went to Boy's Brigade is an empty shell. The shops where I spent my weekly spends are boarded up and empty. It's not a matter of 'more investment' (other people's money) needed. That would be no more than a temporary sticking plaster. The ills are not financial. There is a lack of purpose, a Godless malaise that lies like a green mould over a society that has lost its bearing and consequently its stability, hope and vision.

[@leoseries]

It may well be as very poor as you say but this video does little to indicate this. Try Jaywick in Essex to see examples of real poverty.

[@davidlester7066]

Jaywick is definitely or has to be the most poorest place in the UK thats why the Government dont dump illegal immigrants there not good enough for them .

[@Andy28548]

Surly liscard is more poor than birkenhead?

[@DudeSilad]

There is huge wealth in Birkenhead. Take a walk around Oxton. When you have mass employment like Birkenhead had with shipbuilding and the docks and the work drys up, you're left a large population of people with no jobs. And their offspring tends to not bother working. The population of Liverpool has halved since the 1930's. If you want to work and there is nothing, you get outta Dodge.

[@mikecasey5328]

I live on the Wirral and brought up on the woody , i am glad an from birkenhead, good and bad all over the world 🌎

[@susieneedham8319]

I lived there for a short while in 1968, it looked the same as your video shows. Glamorous models in fuel poverty and food boxes is not convincing, and shiny council meeting ?.Its very sad.

[@fredsharp2456]

The Green agender? is that why they closed 2 golf courses. I think it's too flog off for the cement mixers to move in. Why don't they do something with all the crap places around ( for years) that the developers don't want ?

[@raywilliams2737]

The main reason for Birkenhead's decline is that it has lost its reason for existence. The main industries were decimated during the eighties and nineties. The Port with all its infrastructure did not move into the container era and the ship repair and shipbuilding went to the far east. All of the other industries which used the port for exports now had to export from other ports which increased their overheads so they eventually moved out as well. Further down the Mersey the chemical works, Soap making and factories all moved to China and the Car plant closed down. Non of the manufacturing industry was replaced with anything so redundancy was inevitable. Thatchers sell out really did a lot more damage to people than can ever be recorded.

[@philcliffe6909]

The narration is nearly as depressing as the images.

[@Barlow-91]

Birkenhead is a small area.. there's surrounding areas like you've stated.. tranmere, prenton, rock ferry, new ferry, Woodchurch there all classed as Birkenhead in people's eyes. There's posh areas.. 5 minute walk away there's a rough area. That's Britain!!

[@DaveBeaven-tx2tp]

I think fuel poverty is affecting everyone not just Birkenhead. Cut the green tax rubbish and people will have some more cash in their pockets.

[@andrewnelson4057]

Half the shots are of Liverpool....

[@eddiemccormack8964]

Lived thr years ago meny good memories

[@tedoneilclark4710]

It's so sad that such a beautiful place should be so very deprived and all those good poor people living in misery. Something has to be done it's not right and it's happening everywhere in the country.

[@cym5920]

My blood is from there 😢! My Grandfather was Thomas Herion born in 1897.

[@dawncardiff7095]

"The first underground railroad in the world." The world's first underground railway opened in London in 1863, as a way of reducing street congestion.

[@chloewilliams1112]

I think the actual proclamation at the station is that it was the first fully electrified rail tunnel under water.

[@eckeynecker]

First Electric it is with the oldest underground station (James Street ) not the actual first underground railway .

[@andrewnelson4057]

Barely a single fact in the whole video. Especially about transport. Birkenhead has multiple Rail links, numerous and regular bus services. However, the underground "Railroad" wasn't even close to being the first in the world.

[@peterstevenson5418]

Wirral council lack of investment in the whole area not just birkenhead we had everything here once and the first to have it now nearly nothing well bone wbc

[@stevedavies-pp7dp]

Birkenhead is held as a flagship town by Labour and now that flip flop is in number 10 you can be assured that your town will shortly follow Birkenhead to fame and glory

[@AngieDavies-qb1vr]

Not entirely accurate, a lot of us work for a living and don't claim benefits

[@joebloggs9719]

Well obviously a lot of people work but you can't argue that its not a shithole

[@keithchesworth9865]

Brought upon themselves. I was brought up in Birkenhead, Woodchurch. Went to a London Shipping Company for my apprenticeship as a Marine Engineer and got sent to Camel Laird's for the industrial module. The shock to my system was massive. Pure union run in the most inefficient way possible. After finishing at sea I found that the ultra-left unionists ran everything. I was expected to go to a convener's home to beg for a Union Card to work. I just let my qualifications do the work and entered technical management instead. Eventually moved away and had a much better life for it. Since when I found that there was a complete reluctance by companies to open there. Even Vauxhall had to be bribed and cajoled by the government to go there.

[@ianhunter4731]

How did the people bring it upon themselves?

[@markriding1267]

Government doing what Government does making things worse.....have they admitted burning down the old market yet?

[@systemler44]

Birkenhead looks posh compared to Ellesmere port

[@AngieDavies-qb1vr]

Not a true description of Birkenhead

[@Robert-vw3od]

The place does not even have a decent red light district anymore.

[@WILLIAM1690WALES]

The murderer Connor got a minimum of 48 years in this region of because of the drug criminals, and within the same period in the north-east of England, a person from very nearby area crafty,nucky warren 0:12 because of bail conditions get apprehended was it a coincidence I do not think so?

[@8ballphil150]

if the council stopped lending money to other councils , then we would be far better off . wirral wonga .

[@theoneforgaveme]

These guys who beg in Birkenhead buy alcohol and smack. You offer them food and they turn it down. Money is what they want. But dont fund them.

[@JanBanJoovi-ol1qv]

I was there yesterday. But to be honest, it doesn’t look so bad. Definitely not rich but doesn’t look horrible.

[@bigrobbo75]

The 'Birkenhead' in Auckland NZ is at the other end of the scale. Million dollar houses !!

[@TheBoDangles]

Birkenhead has the most listed buildings outside of London.....its just got a shite council

[@LynnDyer-zc1rz]

Wirral council spends most of it's money on the areas which don't need it - loads of money was being wasted on West Kirby and the surrounding areas because the golf was being held there. Why don't the council spend the money on the areas which actually need it?!!

[@garyrigby21]

it's actually not that Poor anymore it's part of Merseyside, Greater Liverpool and Liverpool gets the most tourists in the UK outside London

[@craigrobertson2193]

No Oxford ?

[@Stefanuccio9]

It’s called Liverpool City Region, not Greater Liverpool and it’s always been part of Merseyside since the boundary changes in the early 70s.

[@garygriffiths154]

Some great buildings in the town.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

Absolute cobblers from start to finish. I have lived in Bhead all my life and seen it get massive investment and renewal. There is nothing- not one thing that is said in this video that does not apply to any other town in the UK.

[@gailbryan8520]

I was born and bread in Birkenhead, this will never leave me

[@gravyboat2370]

Maybe you should mention it's one of the poorest towns in England another 50 times so we don't forget. Or just repeat everything only 're phrased every 30 seconds and add a few photos that arnt birkenhead aswell .. your crap

[@neilarmstrong6082]

some photos were not birkenhead

[@PAUL-ge1kl]

It's grim up North. No, seriously the town has been better known for Class A drugs than any kind of work economy past 45 years.

[@wailersbarrett]

I live in birkenhead for 3 years

[@jillmorris2521]

Any problems with Birkenhead go to new Brighton no holiday makers go to the waterfront no docks Can you find any factories? No? There’s a Your answer.

[@ZombiestFever]

some of that is Liverpool

[@TobyS-ch7ip]

I’m in Birkenhead I am living in Birkenhead

[@anthonykeogh8280]

Some true some rubbish ,thinking this is an ai bot ,not a real person narrating it’s a scam

[@LeonardFowler-o1m]

50% of my pension go on my heating if it costs 4000 a year a get 8000 the councillors on in for what they get out of it

[@keithmartland6463]

This film was posted a year ago, and you could be forgiven if you thought you were watching a town say in Poland, Serbia or the likes thirty of forty years ago, but you are not its happening today 2025, and it should be a crime to happen to anyone, this is all down to the people you vote for plane and simple! I have see abandoned cars, broken pavements, pots holes i have reported years ago all of a sudden been moved or marked for repair of the last few days, why are they doing this, oh wait? its coming up to March/April when they can start sending out new council tax demands, as Wirral is on the brink of going Bankrupt i dread to think how much i will be paying for the coming year to live in a shithole!

[@paulmcnamara6325]

Theyve just thrown this together!!!!!????and ya were birkenhead not liverpool!!! And proud to be from birkenhead i was born above shop chester street near priory!! Its whos in charge not interested!!! 😢😢😢😮😮😮

[@PhilLewis-xg7iv]

Birkenhead is defo on the up. it's about time too. 2024.

[@louieturner6934]

I live there

[@paulmcnamara6325]

What's the point in showing this it never change!!! They ve destroyed the town pumped no money into it??remember ghost town by the specials!!?? This is the ghost town!!!!😮😮😮😢😢😢😢

[@Betty77168]

What the facts really show??

[@V-oe9zr]

Lots of Birks at the head, it seems

[@wiggywaggo9647]

Utter dross i'm afraid

[@CarolAshton-ps1ol]

I dont agree its the poorest !!!!

[@zakugodofwar1005]

Why is UK so poor

[@marybedward9381]

Sad

[@CarolAshton-ps1ol]

21.18

[@pauliewalnuts5803]

BIRKOOO

[@michaeljohnson5365]

Lilly Savage came from squalar and became a millionaire

[@philmcchrystal1670]

No he didn’t come from squalor, he was brought up in a decent street surrounded by good families, where, as he growing up, most people were in employment

[@ianmurphy1391]

2 many brown envelopes given to councillors

[@bobhope190]

It poor cos the tories destroyed industry here in the 80's an we have one of the worst councils in the county

[@macangus123]

There's rumours that Ethiopia are organising a pop concert to help them out.

[@allpsychicsarefraudsfact8357]

Odd how all these 'poor' people smoke cigarettes, go to the pub, have Smartphones...

[@pathurren4024]

@@vivvvvaaaatrophy7680 the quite a nasty video that is nothing like the birkenhead I know ..... why didn't you say something about the kind and friendly people that live there ?.

[@raywilliams2737]

Kids on the street in Cairo Egypt have smart phones you need to get out more.

[@CarolAshton-ps1ol]

I dont agree its the poorest !!!!