By Laura

As we move into 2021, with Greater Manchester still in lockdown due to the pandemic, we’ve found ourselves going towards a break down of businesses, affordable homes for people to rent and support for people to get.

With the high cost of this pandemic we see ourselves noticing a rise in the cost of food, bills and rent. Homes are becoming more expensive – even people who are working are finding it hard to keep up with – up to the point of charging over £500 for a room per month. Council housing is at a shortfall, more than ever before. Housing groups are not being invested in for new homes.

We are facing one of the biggest downturns in any part of the world.

There are over twelve thousand homeless people within Greater Manchester over a few areas – street homeless, those in short-term housing such a shelters, B&Bs and hotels, and then moving from place to place. Our local housing groups and council need to move things up the line to ensure that housing needs are met. Across the county councils – such as Salford – are selling land with housing on to private investors.

We need to take note that the county council and local councils are not taking on board what is needed for local people.

They are placing profits before people, this is wrong. Even during the time of this pandemic, more can be done.

Now as for the businesses in Manchester that are closing after many years, people are at risk of losing their homes and numbers will raise over time. I am worried that the system will be overrun when it’s already hard to get support for those people who are in need. Adding more people to the issue will mean they do not get the support they need, and are overlooked.

Business is the key for any city, as that money will be used to invest back into the local communities.

So, my view on this is simple, these are the acts we need to take:

• Stop selling land with homes on, or without, for profit
• Start building more homes
• Refurbish housing into bedsits to support homeless people
• Ensure that housing groups can grow without restrictions so they can build more affordable homes
• Ensure that all new landowners are on a landlords list, so if wanting to rent they do not have to go through it all later on down the road, with the rule that they take on DSS payments for rent

With the HS2 coming to Manchester over the next few years, we should ask all owners to keep rent affordable, so  that people can live without the over cost on rental for business, homes.

If not, this could be harmful to the people of Greater Manchester.