“Kirkholt is functioning, not failing” say local residents

Hill Top Drive, Kirkholt

There were mixed views from local residents when Rochdale Online went out to test their reactions to the estate being described as suffering from some of the highest poverty levels in Britain in a recent report.

According to the figures, 42% of the working age population are classed as living in poverty and this increases to 49% in the case of child poverty.

At Lavell’s newsagent on The Stand the manageress, who did not wish to be named, seemed unaware of the Church Urban Fund report at first and said: “We are not all that bad. People get on with each other. We could do with more jobs but I’ve seen plenty worse places to live.”

Marlene is in her late 20s and has lived on the estate for 15 years, she said: “It is much better than it was years ago. Then, there was a big problem with gangs of under-age drinkers. Now they’ve all grown up and have got kids of their own. I think they have just grown out of it.”

Not everyone was so upbeat. Down by the Health Centre groups of local residents were out in the bright sunshine, picking up litter and tidying the verges; 77-year-old Elizabeth said she had seen the report: “It seems to have got much worse over the past couple of years. I daren’t go out at night. It’s mainly the young ones. They put them in these houses but they don’t look after the property. Their gardens are a mess. Most of them don’t seem to have a job and they just live on benefits.”

Elizabeth has lived on the estate for 50 years and spoke about some of the health issues that concern many residents: “I had to have my knee replaced a couple of years ago. I was one of the last patients to have it done at the Infirmary. Now if we need to go into hospital, we have to go all the way to Oldham or North Manchester.”

Tracy Johnson, a young mother in her early 20s was dismissive: “They’re always slagging off Kirkholt, but everyone gets on with each other. I like it here.”

We also interviewed the Reverend Sue Morgan; an Anglican minister at St Thomas', Kirkholt who has lived and worked in the parish for four and a half years: “I was not surprised by the report, although I was amazed on the emphasis on the North West with only one of the ten parishes named coming outside of the area. I experience these problems day in and day out.”

She highlighted recent cuts to the benefits system as making things increasingly difficult and told us that she was spending an increasing amount of her time supporting and advocating for parishioners with tribunal appeals in respect of Employment and Support Allowance claims. This was making large demands upon her time.

She was concerned that plans to replace Disability Living Allowance would make things even worse.

She said the church remained committed to working with the poor in areas of deprivation, and added: "This is a functioning and not a failing community. There is vibrancy and a joy here despite all the deprivation.”

www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/69906/kirkholt-is-one-of-the-poorest-areas-in-england