The Greater Manchester streets where people live payslip to payslip
20.08.2023 - 10:05
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
David Waine gets home, changes out of his Asda uniform and collapses on the sofa after a long shift.
He should only have a few months left on the shop floor. Having worked for 50 years, the supermarket assistant was hoping to retire next year.
But spiralling costs have made that plan completely unattainable.
Like so many others in Greater Manchester, David is struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.
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Bill increases have meant the 65-year-old, from Moston, can’t even afford to socialise with his friends.
David should be looking forward to retired life. But despite working since the age of 15, he’s going to have to hold out for that dream a little while longer.
“I’m due to relax,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “But you have to go to work to get the money to pay bills.
“If [costs] keep going up more and more, bills won’t get paid, it’s as simple as that.
David is one of many tenants who has seen his rent increase over the last year.
In fact, the number of Greater Manchester households facing eviction has reached its highest level on record, surpassing even the financial crisis of 2009.
A total of 448 section 21 no fault eviction notices were handed out in our region between April and June of this year, new Ministry of Justice figures have shown.
That’s the highest number on record for our region, with figures going as far back as 2003.
It’s a bleak reality that has hit David hard.
“We can’t go out; I haven’t had a holiday in years. I can’t even afford to go to Blackpool,” he continued.
“You can’t even go for a day out because it costs you too much. I can’t say I’ll go out with my friends for