Stories of Manchester's cost of living crisis will be on Downing Street doormats, council vows

Real stories of the current cost of living crisis from people across Manchester will land on the doormats of Downing Street, Labour councillors have vowed. Tragic tales of people choosing between heating and eating will be collected for a report which will be delivered to the Chancellor and the Prime Minister.

Councillors shared stories from constituents who are struggling, together with recent reports by the M.E.N., at a town hall meeting on Wednesday (March 30). It came after councillors were told the energy price cap is expected to rise by 150 pc over the next year with the first hike happening on Friday (April 1).

The number of residents claiming Universal Credit is now 75,981 - almost double the total before the pandemic - with the unemployment rate at 6.7 pc. And it is feared that the number of children in the city who are living in poverty, estimated to be 42 pc in March 2020, will have risen and will continue to rise.

READ MORE: Life on the Greater Manchester streets where families have to beg for clothes - and sit on the settee and cry

Sharing how Harpurhey residents responded to Rishi Sunak 's Spring Statement as reported by the M.E.N. , Labour councillor Pat Karney said the ruling group will make sure these voices are heard in Downing Street. He said: "An economic tornado is on its way for residents in Manchester."

Woodhouse Park councillor Sarah Judge shared a story of a single mum from her ward who has been struggling to make ends meet despite working at a local shop five days a week and at a pub on Friday and Saturday evenings. The young woman, who the councillor called Emma, said she ran out of electricity and had to light candles until she was paid the following day.

She later spent £10 of her last