Keep up to date with all the big stories from across Greater Manchester in the daily Mancunian Way newsletter.
You can receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by signing up right here.
Here is today's Mancunian Way:
By BETH ABBIT - Tues July 12, 2022
Hello,
Almost half of all children in Manchester are living in poverty, shocking new statistics have revealed.
The city has the highest levels of child poverty in the North West, at 42 percent, according to the End Child Poverty Coalition. That equates to 12 children in a classroom of 30.
Manchester also has the ninth highest rate of child poverty for all local authorities across the UK. Oldham (39.9%), Bolton (37.5%) and Rochdale (35.8%) also rank among the ten North West boroughs with the highest percentage of children living in poverty in 2020/21.
The coalition research, carried out by Loughborough University, shows that 30 percent of children and young people in the North West are living in poverty.
The Manchester Evening News has previously reported about parents skipping meals to feed their children and those who are unable to afford school uniforms and basic provisions.
Back in April, former councillor Sarah Judge spoke about a Wythenshawe mum who had to light candles after running out of electricity. Despite working at a shop five days a week and at a pub on Friday and Saturday evenings, she struggled to make ends meet. Spending a night by candlelight just before getting paid, the following day she spent £10 of her last £14 on electricity and the rest on dinner. But the pizza burnt in the oven while she helping her older son with his homework.
"She told me how she sat on the kitchen floor and cried uncontrollably, so angry with herself that she couldn't do more and so frustrated that despite all of her hard work she was left in this position,” said Sarah.
Rachel Walters, End Child Poverty Coalition coordinator, says the government can make changes to ensure families are able to afford the basics for their children.
"We need urgent decisive action to ensure that next year we aren’t reporting exactly the same figures for the North West region," she says.
"All children in the North West, and across the UK, deserve to live free of poverty and to have the same chances as their peers.”
Liv Eren, 18, from Cheshire, grew up in a family on a low income and remembers how poverty made her feel. “Always being acutely aware of your social position forces you to mature a lot earlier,” she says. “I remember a group of us telling a teacher that we wouldn't be able to go on a school trip when she wondered why no one had signed up. At 11-years of age and knowing about your parents finances and what they can afford– no child should be in a position to know that.
Liv, who is an End Child Poverty Coalition Ambassador, adds: “I missed out on normal things kids were doing after school too. Mum couldn't afford childcare, so we were going to work with her in the evenings then having to be at school for 8am and we were absolutely shattered.”
The analysis covers a period from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, at which point families were in receipt of the £20 Universal Credit uplift. Experts say this is likely the reason why the numbers slightly declined in this period. But they now fear that with the uplift removed, next year’s results will see a rise in child poverty levels.
Joseph Howes, chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, says: “It remains incredibly worrying that at a moment like this there is nothing in the government’s Levelling Up strategy on this issue. I just don’t understand this, we must see a national child poverty strategy created. It is heartbreaking that there isn’t one when we can see evidence that shows change really is possible.
“It still feels like we are on the edge of a precipice. There is significant concern that the numbers of children in poverty will now rise again sharply with families facing huge cost increases in the coming months.”
The coalition is calling on the government to ensure Universal Credit deductions are reduced and the benefit cap abolished, access to free or affordable childcare is improved and Free School Meals in England and Wales are extended to all children in families receiving UC.
Don't leave anything to chance
The number of Greater Manchester patients being hospitalised with Covid has more than quadrupled in just over a month.
There were 131 hospitalisations for the week to June 1, according to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency. The numbers now stand at 561 patients hospitalised with coronavirus in the week leading up to July 3.
On July 5, there were 13 Mechanical Ventilation beds occupied by Covid patients in Greater Manchester NHS hospitals - two more than a week earlier.
Manchester's director of public health, David Regan, is calling for anyone yet to take up the offer of a Spring Covid booster to come forward as soon as possible.
"Please don't leave anything to chance, especially while we know that Covid numbers are increasing again," he says.
Those most at risk from the virus, including people aged 75 and over, are eligible. Call Manchester's Covid Helpline on 0800 840 3858 or text 07890 036 892.
Extreme pressure
The North West Ambulance Service has been moved to the highest alert level. It now stands at Resource Escalation Action Plan level four, as health reporter Helena Vesty writes. She understands that the escalation comes as patients struggle with heat-related illnesses.
Level four 'indicates a potential for failures' within ambulances services as they try to cope with 'extreme pressure', according to the national NHS framework.
Meanwhile, Royal Bolton Hospital has warned its A&E is 'continuing to experience very high levels of activity', with waiting times approximately more than four hours.
Hospital chiefs are urging people to make sure they only attend the emergency department if their condition is an emergency or life-threatening.
Rae Wheatcroft, chief operating officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re incredibly busy throughout the year, but long spells of hot weather can have a significant impact on our emergency services."
Ambulances were seen queuing outside Stepping Hill Hospital's A&E department on Monday night. 'More than 10 ambulances' were spotted as health chiefs admitted services 'remain very busy'.
Weather, etc.
- Wednesday: Sunny. 20C.
- Pollen count: Very high.
- Roads closed: Delph New Road, Dobcross, in both directions for roadworks between Wall Hill Road and Oldham Road until August 5. A57 Eccles New Road westbound closed for gas main work from Canterbury Gardens to Gilda Brook Road until July 8.
- Today's Manc trivia question: Dovestone Reservoir lies on the western edge of which national park?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter
Forest fire
Firefighters spent much of the night dealing with a blaze at woodland near Dovestone Reservoir. Flames tore through the area off Bank Lane, in Greenfield, Oldham.
Crews from ten units worked into the morning to bring the blaze under control. An investigation has now been launched to establish the cause, which came on one of the hottest days of the year so far.
More strike action
Northern and TransPennine Express train drivers have voted to take strike action over a pay row, union Aslef said. Members at eight train companies backed campaigns of industrial action.
The votes follow strikes by 40,000 RMT union workers across 13 operators and at Network Rail last month. Just a fifth of rail services ran over three days and stations were left empty.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: "Strikes are always the last resort. We don't want to inconvenience passengers - our friends and families use public transport, too - and we don't want to lose money by going on strike but we've been forced into this position by the companies driven by the Government."
Manchester headlines
Suspicious device: Bomb disposal experts were scrambled to woodland in Oldham after a 'suspicious device' was found. Police officers were called to an area near Ashbrook Road at around 5pm on Monday. An Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer could be seen working behind a cordon. The device was deemed to be 'non-suspicious' after investigations.
Reopening: Newall Green High School, closed by the government two years ago, is set to reopen next year. The school in Wythenshawe was permanently closed by the Department for Education in 2020 due to dwindling pupil numbers and a poor Ofsted record. Today Manchester Council announced the school will reopen in September 2023 as part of the Dixon's Academy Trust - which took over the running of former Manchester Health Academy in January this year. More here.
The best: Manchester has been ranked the 13th best city on the planet by Time Out. The magazine quizzes 20,000 city-dwellers worldwide about life in their hometown. Manchester has been ranked higher than any city in England with London four places behind in 17th place. It has been commended for its friendliness, its 'ever-welcoming landscape of restaurants, bars' and its 'top-notch culture'. Rob Martin, from Time Out Manchester, says: "A true melting pot, Manchester is a resilient, progressive city, appreciative of its history but always looking ahead."
A day out
This image from the Manchester Libraries archive shows families queuing for hot dogs at a stall in Platt Fields Park, in Fallowfield, back in 1963.
Worth a read
It was once home to Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner and was the old stomping ground of Manchester City and England star Phil Foden. But the Bridgehall estate is not without its challenges.
As one of the most deprived areas in Stockport it performs significantly worse than the national average on unemployment, income deprivation and child poverty.
Reporter Chris Slater has been speaking to residents Steve Cunningham and Tony Farrar, who are working to make life better for people living on the estate. They run Active Community Experiences to offer affordable activities for local kids. Read the piece here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me, the next edition of the Mancunian Way will be with you around the same time tomorrow. If you have any stories you would like us to feature or look into, please contact me at beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk
And if you have enjoyed this newsletter today, why not tell a friend how they can sign up?
The answer to today’s trivia question, Dovestone Reservoir lies on the western edge of which national park, is The Peak District.
