Six months ago, the Manchester Evening News detailed the growing trend of couples starting families in the city centre — and choosing to raise their children in town.
At the time, the four families we spoke to listed a lack of schools in town, especially for secondary school age pupils, and a dearth of green space as the main issues facing parents living in the city centre. However, in the intervening months, one issue has overtaken them all.
It is, as you’d expect, the cost of living. Two families featured in July 2022 agreed to speak about how they are coping in a tough winter.
“I don’t know where to start,” Agnieszka, 43, sighed. She has a toddler son and a five-year-old daughter. With her partner, the four share a one-bedroom apartment in New Islington.
“The nursery fees have gone up, so has the electricity bill. We did get a £60 per month contribution and that made it more bearable, but I am not looking forward to next April when it goes up again.
“We don’t go out at all, to be honest. We’re having to watch every pound. There’s not much to be saved on now. We are limiting everything to the bare minimum.
“Every time we buy essentials, it’s gone up. Last year, Cow and Gate milk was £8.25. Now it’s more than £10.”
Despite the cramped conditions, Aga says her small flat is a blessing in disguise, as it means she has a ‘mortgage [which] is quite low’. But the family have had to put their dreams of buying somewhere bigger in the centre on hold.
Aga continued: “ the interest rates are quite high. Our mortgage is quite low, we’re in a one-bed and it’s £500 per month.
“If we bought a three-bed it would be double or triple that and I am not sure if we would be able to secure a mortgage with two kids. We do not want to be pushed out just because we have kids. We are thinking of staying in the area, but we are putting our dreams of buying here on hold. We are just trying to weather the storm.”
Another mum, who asked not to be named, is facing a similar situation in the Green Quarter. She said: “We are staying in the flat. We wanted to move — now we will not be able to with the interest rates and prices going up. That’s it for us.”
It’s not just house-buying which is a worry for the family.
“Energy has doubled,” she continued. “At the beginning, we did not put the heating on and we wrapped my kid in a crazy amount of layers.
“He became very sick. Now we have decided we need to [put the heating on], so it’s doubled. We try to be conscious with it. He just needs to be healthy but it’s a big shock.”
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