Life on the Greater Manchester streets where almost two in three children live in poverty
29.05.2022 - 18:59
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Children in Oldham are more likely to be born into poverty than in any other borough in Greater Manchester - with families facing heartbreaking cutbacks to stay afloat.
A new 'Poverty Monitor' report published this week revealed 64% of kids in Coldhurst - almost two in three - live below the breadline. More than a third of all children in Oldham face poverty, more than three times the national average.
Mum Ali Hoyle, 32, told the Manchester Evening News: "Every single shop we've gone in today our food has gone up. It's awful, you can't afford to live, especially with two kids to feed. I don't know what we'll do if things go up any more."
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Jack Harding, 30, told the Manchester Evening News his family were coping with the current price hikes by cutting back on anything non-essential - but weren't sure how much longer they could get by on a scrimp-and-save budget. "It's getting harder and harder to make ends meet at the moment," he said.
"We're doing ok at the moment, cutting back here and there and going without a treat whilst we're out so the kids have what they need, but there's not much else we can bin off to balance the books.
"It's all well and good saying we need to make sacrifices but where do you draw the line? There's only so much you can cutback on before it starts impacting your quality of life. Even if we can cut back on all that - what happens when the prices go up again and it's time to start cutting back when it comes to the kids? It's enough to keep you up some nights."
Families in the area have previously spoken about having to walk everywhere because they can't afford to take the bus, whilst