Erdington: 'This election could be lost on litter'

In the run-up to the general election, six Guardian reporters are writing from constituencies across the country to find out what matters to you and your area. In the latest dispatch from Erdington, Birmingham, Nazia Parveen and photographer Christopher Thomond learn that a growing rubbish crisis could easily lay waste to local politicians' careers

In 1990s New York, the then mayor, Rudi Giuliani, tested an academic theory called broken windows: by tackling minor lawlessness, serious crime would fall.

The idea was that by creating nicer neighbourhoods a sense of pride within communities would be fostered, which in turn would lead to a reduction in crime. It broadly worked. Now the question is whether a similar approach can work in the Birmingham suburb of Erdington.