Manchester’s economy continues to grow, but the city’s wealth is struggling to make its way down the A62 to Oldham. Newly released figures about the most deprived towns in England show that much of Oldham is not getting any better for its residents, Manchester Evening News reports.
Of the town’s 142 neighbourhoods, a total of 44 have moved into a more deprived band, with only 19 moving into a less deprived one. This means nearly a third (31%) of Oldham’s neighbourhoods are more deprived now than they were six years ago. Manchester is improving, however, as more than a third of its neighbourhoods (36%) have moved into a less deprived band, a total of 106 of the 295 neighbourhoods. Only about 9% of neighbourhoods – a total of 26 – have become less deprived since 2019.
Andrew Glynn, 66, a retired journalist born in Oldham, said: “Those statistics don’t surprise me. This place is on its knees.
“The way it looks, the way it feels. The number of businesses that were here and are no longer here. It feels like the town is dying.”
Mr Glynn believes Oldham’s statistics are rooted in the town’s history and changing shopping habits.
He added: “I think Oldham changed dramatically from being an industrial powerhouse to losing all of those jobs – and nothing came in to replace that.”
Lack of jobs could also be partly to blame, driving young people to turn their back on the borough and choose Manchester or London for better opportunities. The underfunding of local authorities is likely adding to the problem also.
Locals say the real-life impact on its residents can be “crushing”.
“If I could move, I would,” said Charlie, 32.
She went on: “Ever since having my daughter, I’ve been the most worse off in my life, and no one will help us. My partner lost his job in September, so he wasn’t working for a month. We had to wait a month for Universal Credit to come – and even when it did, all of it went on our rent, which is £950. So we were left with £30 for a month, and then £26 a week from child benefits.
“It’s just not enough. I’m in so much debt. I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“I think things have been getting worse for the past 15 years. I’ve worked in Oldham town centre all my life, and I’ve literally watched it disappear in front of my eyes. Especially the pubs. So there are less jobs, too,” she added.
“Rent keeps going up and up,” Lisa, a 43-year-old support worker, agreed. She has lived near Union Street for two years.
“My rent’s gone up from £650 to £700 in the last year. It really just makes you worry about the money all the time. It’s constant stress.”
However, according to the statistics, some areas of Oldham have seen an improvement, but only three neighbourhoods, two of which are in Failsworth South and one in Holt Lane End & Bardsley.
It is clear that in many neighbourhoods of Oldham, people are struggling against a heightened risk of homelessness, child poverty and unemployment more than ever.