“Somebody’s got to do something”: Mancunians’ blunt message to new Prime Minister as they battle rising bills

Summer is drawing to a close and concerns about the cost of living crisis are mounting in Manchester. With food, fuel and energy prices soaring, many people are already looking for ways to cut back and relieve the stress of what is set to be a difficult winter.

The country is also waiting to hear how the new Prime Minister will step in to help those who are struggling the most.

The Community Cafe in Droylsden, which is run by charity Feedo Needo, has already had a busy summer, providing free food and support for locals who have started feeling the pinch.

The charity’s project coordinator for Manchester, Rebecca Hargreaves, believes that things will only worsen as we head into the colder months.

She said: “I’ve noticed the discussion in here in the last few weeks is that everyone is worried about what the energy costs are going to be.

“People say make cutbacks, but you’re not asking people to make a cutback of £20-30, you’re asking for hundreds of pounds.”

Rebecca said that more and more families are using her free cafe and foodbank in Droylsden, as well as the elderly and people who live alone.

One such person is 73-year-old widower Dennis Crompton. He described his pension as “nothing” and that places like the Community Cafe are a big help.

He said: “You don’t realise until you’ve got a pension that you were like a god when you had a wage coming in.”

The government announced earlier this year that pensioners will be entitled to a £300 cost of living payment to assist with energy bills, but Dennis is sceptical about how far this money will go.

“They give in one hand, and the next time they’ll take it away with the other hand,” he added.

So far he has not had to make many changes to everyday life, but knows he will in the future as his “nest egg” depletes.

He recently returned from a trip to Canada to see his brother – the first time in 20 years. For him, the hardest thing is not knowing when or if he will be able to see him again.

“I won’t be able to afford it,” he said.

Mrs Burgess, on the other hand, has already had to make significant changes to her life. About a year ago she moved from a four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom bungalow which has lower running costs, but even that is not without issues.

The 65-year-old hairdresser said: “Now I’m trying to buy things that I need – like it’s not got double glazing, so it’s draughty. I need thick curtains that are expensive, and I’m just managing on a part-time wage.”

She has four adult children and her daughters help her out by cooking for her two or three times a week. And she’s also started making use of the facilities at her local leisure centre.

“It’s cheaper to go swim there and I can have a shower there, be clean there, instead of using my own water at home because I’m on a water metre,” she said.

Just thinking about the extent of the cost of living crisis saddens her.

“It just makes you a bit miserable and life’s too short to be sad and miserable,” she added.

Nick Garside, a full-time single father-of-two, has also started preparing for the difficult winter months, having got rid of his Sky TV package and changed his internet package and phone contract.

As a part-time coach driver, he receives minimum wage, as well as minimum Universal Credit payments.

He said: “Every time I make these cutbacks, so I can have a little bit more of a comfortable life and maybe have a treat, the price of everything goes up.”

His priorities are his two children and has been finding thrifty ways of treating his kids over the summer holidays, such as making use of the childrens’ meal deal initiatives at supermarket chains.

“That’s one of the reasons why I’m here,” he said. “It’s the summer holidays and I still want my kids to feel like they’ve had a treat and gone out.

“It’s not necessarily money that I haven’t got at the moment, but if I use it on those treats, come the winter and the energy bills have gone right up, what do I do?”

With many people in this same position, he is also concerned about what effect this will have on the country as a whole.

He added: “If people haven’t got money to go out and do anything, if I can’t say: ‘Come on kids we’ll go out and spend our money somewhere’, the economy is going to come unstuck at some point.

“Somebody’s got to do something.”

This is a sentiment shared by many of the Community Cafe regulars and its organiser.

“People don’t want to come to food banks,” Rebecca said.

“They want to manage on their own money and be able to go to the shops. That’s what the government should be doing – helping people, with money.

“Nobody wants to hear that they can give you all these services. People want to look after their own money.”

Mrs Burgess said: “Realistically, they know what the people need, like the housing associations – make sure they’ve all got double glazing and draught-proofing, things like that.

“It’s easy. It’s not a lot to ask for.”

More information about Feedo Needo and the work they do can be found on their website.

The Community Cafe is located at Droylsden Juniors Football Club, Lewis Rd, and is open Monday-Thursday 10:30am-pm. They also run a weekly foodbank on Wednesdays 10:30am-1pm.