The Mancunian Way: 'Please give me a job'

David Storer is desperate to find a job. A qualified industrial cleaner, the dad-of-one has also served in the British Army, fighting conflicts in Bosnia and Afghanistan.

But now he’s homeless and spends most days begging for cash and drinking super-strength lager outside a betting shop in Oldham town centre.

“It’s making me depressed,” the 42-year-old said. “I drink and I know I’m an alcoholic, but if I got given a job tomorrow, I’d quit. I would happily go through withdrawal symptoms to work - happily.”

David is among the many homeless people who struggle to find work because they have no permanent address, making it difficult for them to apply for a bank account, the electoral register, benefits or jobs. It's an impossible situation which has led to Citizens Advice dubbing the Catch-22 "the postal paradox".

David is not alone. According to new data, Oldham has one of the highest unemployment rates in the UK. A total of 6.6 per cent of those living in the town are currently claiming unemployment-related benefits.

Among them is Angela Davidson, who is unable to work due to a disability. The 42-year-old finds she has 'no money at all' at the end of each month - and believes more needs to be done to support those on disability benefits.

“I’m finding it very hard,” she said. “I have no money at all at the end of the month. I’ve treated myself to a new jumper today.

“It makes me feel upset. The Government should do more for us disabled people.”

“How many lives are going to be lost before the youth of today understand the consequences of using and carrying a knife?”

Each week, it seems as though a different family ends up asking itself the same old question. This time it’s the devastated mother of Paul Marsh, a beloved dad