On Wednesday, Rishi Sunak unveiled his second Budget of 2021. The Universal Credit taper will be cut by eight per cent, allowing claimants to keep more of their benefit.
But 4.4million households have seen their income fall by £1,000 a year after the £20 uplift was recently scrapped. The cash could be the equivalent of a week’s worth of food or new school shoes for a child.
The decrease means some are having to choose between basic necessities. There are people living in Eccles who are barely managing to keep their heads above the water – with some living day-to-day on the very edge of disaster.
With energy bills rocketing and food costs on the up, the M.E.N’s Paige Oldfield spoke to residents in the town about their struggles and worries for the future.
A busker’s guitar echoes around Eccles town centre on an unusually warm October afternoon.
A man drinks alone outside a pub, a shop owner watches the world go by.
Along the empty street, a single mother sits on a bench surrounded by her five children.
Her two-year-old son plays in a nearby pile of fallen leaves, laughing as he kicks the red and orange foliage into the air.
It’s a heart-warming scene – one that makes it hard to believe this family could find themselves homeless in just four weeks’ time.
Like thousands of people across the UK, they’re struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living continues to rise.
"I want to give my kids everything... but I can’t afford to do that,” Vicky Gillott says as a smile disappears from her face.
“We struggle with food, shopping, heating and electric.
“With winter coming, we are going to have to use it more.
“It’s one of those things. You just have to try and get by.”
The 42-year-old, who has six children, rents a house in Eccles with a private landlord.
But the property has just been sold – meaning she has just four weeks to find somewhere to live.
“I’ve had to go to the doctors for my mental health,” she continues.
“I could be homeless. It’s the younger ones I’m worried about – near Christmas as well.”
As well as the possibility of facing life on the streets, Vicky also worries about basic necessities such as food.
She relies on free school meals and her mother who helps her when running low.
She also uses Wood Street Mission, a charity for low income families, to access toys for the children.
“We’ve had to lessen things like taking the kids out,” she says.
“It’s good when we get holiday vouchers for the kids.
“We want to take them on trips to Blackpool but you can’t afford it.
“I want to give my kids everything.
“It makes me feel like sh**”.
Nearby, a woman sits in the grounds of Eccles Parish churchyard.
When speaking of her plight, the mother-of-four says she is “struggling” to keep her head above the water in recent times.
She tells us can’t afford to buy birthday presents for her children - something that upsets her deeply.
“Everything goes up but the benefits don’t go up,” she says.
“We’re still struggling.
“I can’t buy birthday presents for my kids and grandchildren.
“It does get to me. It’s a big worry.
“I have four children and I just want the best for them.”
Sat on a bench within Eccles Shopping Centre, Peter O’Connor reads a leaflet.
Beside him is a walking stick and a shopping trolley with an umbrella, insulated blanket and other belongings.
The 60-year-old, who has struggled with addiction from a young age, says he has had his benefits slashed by £600 a month.
Due to his health conditions, he once received Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
But following an assessment, he has since been placed onto Universal Credit.
“I’ve lost everything,” he said.
“I’ve got to go on Universal Credit and that’s what has done it to me.
“My life was pretty sad before, but now it’s going to make it worse.
“I just get from one day to the next."
Peter, who says he has been an alcoholic since the age of 12, suffers from crippling arthritis, a liver condition and depression.
“I’ve got six conditions, and each one will lead to death,” he continues.
“All of my friends are dying.
“Two have died in the last two weeks.
“You don’t get better. You just get worse.”
Elsewhere in the town, Emily Johnston sits on a bench drinking a can of lager.
The 48-year-old says she “looks for a bargain wherever she can” in a bid to save as much as possible.
She also spends as much time out of her home as she can to save on using gas.
Next to her is her friend Leo Owen, aged 50.
He says: “You put money in for gas and electric and it goes down quicker than it used to.
“I can’t switch it off because of my food, so it’s on constantly.”
Hugh Mortimer, who is busking on a nearby street, finishes for the day and starts packing away his guitar.
He counts the collection of coins he has made and puts them into a small plastic bag.
He tells us busking is currently his only form of income.
The 61-year-old says: “In the 80s, the future was exciting.
“Now, the future is frightening.
“It’s just gone extortionate.
“You worry about the future.
“Busking is my only way of making money.
“I’m worried about bills – council tax, electricity and petrol.
“You dread getting a plumbing bill or if your car breaks down.
“I just try and be sensible – I'm a busker, you have to try and survive.”
