The cost-of-living crisis has seen food prices soar and energy prices spike, affecting thousands, if not millions, of households. Some are facing a real dilemma of choosing between heating and eating, with the most vulnerable being adversely affected.
According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK is facing its sharpest fall in living standards on record. The Financial Times meanwhile reports the country will be hit by one of the 'worst recessions and weakest recoveries'.
Residents from Gorton, Manchester have voiced their heartbreak about making ends meet and have spoken openly about survival in this current economic climate. From people suffering debilitating health problems such as hardened arteries, to a dad of a two-year-old disabled daughter coping with spiking food costs, these are the stories reported by Manchester Evening News.
Under the warmth of an electric blanket, Carl Bradshaw lies alone on his sofa. All he has to eat is a two-day old Chinese takeaway.
He’ll put the heating on to take the chill out of the room, but only for an hour. Carl can’t afford to have it on for any longer.
Up to his eyes in debt, he knows he could have his supply cut off at any given moment. “I don’t pay it,” the 60-year-old, from Gorton, told the Manchester Evening News.
“I don’t worry about the debt. What are they going to do if they cut me off?
"They’ll put me back on because I’m disabled. I’m angry because everything is costing more.
"I don’t go out, it’s hard. You don’t get much help being disabled.
"The rich are getting richer and people like you and me are getting poorer.” Carl has hardened arteries in his legs and lives in constant pain, meaning he receives Disability Living Allowance from the government.
But with needing to take constant taxis to and from the hospital, he says the cash simply isn’t enough to live on. He is not the only one.
The energy support scheme - the payments from the government intended to help with spiralling bills - is set to end in April. This will leave households who are struggling to cope right now, wondering how they will manage in the future.
Mum-of-four Claire Gordon receives Universal Credit and has recently applied for a £400 energy support grant. Despite the help, she continues to struggle as the cost-of-living crisis cripples the country.
“It’s hard,” she said. “I have to have the heating on all the time for my kids.
"I can’t have the house cold. I’m just trying not to worry about it.
"If I go into debt, I go into debt. It’s always in the back of my mind, but you have to get on with it and take each day as it comes.”
Claire, who also lives in Gorton, says she manages bills by using Asda’s Just Essentials budget-friendly food range. As she scrapes by, she says rising costs have had a huge impact on her mental health.
“I have depression,” she added. “When you talk to people with bad mental health and depression, it doesn’t show.
"People look at you and say, ‘Hang on, you’re not struggling,’ but I am inside. It’s bad.
"People can’t go on the way things are going. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Like many families across Greater Manchester, Claire has her rent paid for through a housing benefit. Gorton and Abbey Hey, according to council data, had the highest number of Housing Benefit claimants in the year up to 2022.
Housing benefit claimants in Manchester are in particular need of support, against a backdrop of rising rents. According to the Department for Work & Pensions, analysed by our data unit, local authorities across our region spent a total of £7.7m in discretionary housing payments (DHPs) in the year to March 2022.
DHPs are top-ups given by councils to help people on benefits experiencing financial difficulty with housing costs, aiming to prevent an increase in homelessness. They may go towards paying rent where housing benefits or Universal Credit do not cover the full amount, or to cover the cost of other necessary housing expenses, such as rent deposits.
Manchester City Council has spent far more than any other local authority in Greater Manchester, with DHPs costing a total of £2.8m. In fact, Manchester paid out more in DHPs than any other local authority in England and Wales except for Birmingham, which spent £3.8m.
Benefit reforms are seen as the main reason that people are awarded DHPs, with 57% of cases relating to the issue. Just over a third (34%) of DHPs are paid out to people who are struggling as a result of the removal of the spare room subsidy, the so-called ‘bedroom tax’.
Local housing allowance reforms account for 11% of claims, the benefit cap for 8%, and a combination of all three for 3%. That leaves 43% of DHPs which are awarded for non-welfare related issues, against a backdrop of rising food and energy costs.
Couple Melanie Johnson, 29, and Gary Salmon, 55, also of Gorton, have found themselves struggling as energy bills continue to rise. While the £66 government energy discount has been a huge help, they know it's set to end in April.
“I’m surviving with that money that’s coming in,” Gary said. “It’s taken the pressure off and it would be good if it kept going.
“I’m only having one meal a day – a snack and then dinner. It’s made me depressed.
"I have depression, but it’s made it worse. I’ve had to go back to the doctor and get a stronger prescription.
“It’s stressful knowing that at any time they could pull the plug on the support. I’m putting extra money way to cover it and start saving up towards the bills.”
Gary, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, used to have a nebuliser machine to help with his breathing. But as energy costs continue to skyrocket, he’s been forced to give it away and use an inhaler instead.
“It was costing too much in electricity,” he added. “I had to have it on every four hours.
"The electricity was costing £25 a day. I have an inhaler now, but the nebuliser would be better.”
Dad-of-two David Walch cares for his two-year-old disabled daughter Frankie at home. The tot has tuberous sclerosis – a rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes non-cancerous tumours to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs and skin.
Her condition means she has to follow strict dietary requirements, something that worries David as the cost of food continues to rise. He said: “It’s a struggle but you just have to carry on.
"There’s nothing you can do about it. It’s harder for us because we’ve got a disabled daughter.
"She doesn’t chew so she has to have soft food. I just hope prices go back to what they used to be like.”
A government spokesperson told the Manchester Evening News: “This government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable, which is why we are increasing benefits in line with inflation at 10.1% from April 2023.
“We recognise the pressures of the rising cost of living and will give up to £1,350 of direct support to those most in need in 2023-24, on top of the £1,200 given to eight million vulnerable households this financial year. Our housing support has included providing nearly £1.6 billion in Discretionary Housing Payments to Local Authorities since 2011 - but this is only part of the help available.
“We have committed an extra £1 billion to extend the Household Support Fund to the end of March 2024, which can offer further support with housing costs.”
