The Untold Stories of Manchester’s Housing Crisis
Tenants need to join forces across Manchester neighbourhoods. This was the key message arising from SH4M’s first film screening and campaign workshop at St Cuthbert’s church in Miles Platting in February.
This was the first in a programme of events that will take place across the city throughout 2025.
What is the City but the People? is a short film co-created by two inspiring women leaders from Moss Side and Wythenshawe to raise awareness about the urgency of the housing crisis across the city.
MPCAN (Miles Platting Community and Age-friendly Network) were the first coalition to host the SH4M campaign to screen the documentary and raise awareness with their local community about easy and urgent actions they themselves can take to support the collective effort to get more social rent homes delivered across the city.
A key focus of the current work is the new Local Plan which will be published for an 8-week consultation in Summer 2025 by Manchester City Council.
Download our Local Plan Handbook here
Download our Campaign Information booklet here
Planning can be very technical and boring! But if you were ever going to engage in planning this is the policy to wake up to! The Local Plan will determine how much housing, what types of housing, and where housing will be developed across the city for at least the next ten years.
Councillors Carmine Grimshaw and June Hitchen were in attendance and promised to add their pledges in support of our headline campaign ask which is for 30% of all new housing developments of 10 homes or above to be homes for social rent. You can view the full list of which councillors have pledged their support here.
You can invite Social Homes for Manchester to come and fun a film screening and workshop in your local area – just email socialhomes4mcr@gmail.com.
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Launch of the Manchester Social Housing Commission
The Manchester Social Housing Commission held its first meeting in July bringing Community Savers leaders together with cross-sector experts to develop local and national proposals for addressing the housing crisis. The Commission is chaired by the Right Reverend Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester and supported by the Social Homes for Manchester campaign.
Community Savers representatives from Collyhurst, Miles Platting, and Wythenshawe advocated for 30% of all new housing developments of ten homes or more to be social rented homes that are climate and nature friendly. They also asked housing sector professionals to stop using the term ‘affordable housing’ and refer to housing for social rent or private rent. Communities often think affordable means social, and it prevents them holding developers and the council to account for building the social homes we need.
Zoe Marlow of Dandelion Savers and Women of Wythenshawe said:
“We need to stop blurring the line between social homes and affordable homes and just say which one is which. People are confused.”
The lack of information provided at a community level about developer obligations, or ‘section 106’ contributions, was also raised and Commissioners discussed the need for a review of viability assessments which developers use to avoid these obligations on grounds of low profitability.
Sue Anya of Miles Platting Community and Age-friendly Network (MPCAN) said:
“We need to know where the section 106 money goes. It doesn’t seem to get invested in the community where construction is happening…We also need to have information much earlier – we never find out what is happening until everything has already been decided.”
Families in lower income areas of the city also depend on their own family and social networks for childcare and social care support but Sheila Davis of MPCAN highlighted how children and grandchildren of existing residents are unable to find a social rental home in the same area and can’t afford escalating private rents. Flats let at “affordable rents” cost 80% of market rent but there is no cap on market rent, so these offer no solution to people working for minimum wage or even the ‘living wage’.
Sheikha Omar of Moss Side Tenants Union called for the complete banning of Section 21 evictions, the application of Freedom of Information legislation to housing associations not just local authorities, an end to the sale of social housing to private equity companies, and better controls on rent increases for both social and private tenants.
The Commission will be making policy proposals to Manchester City Council and to the new national government administration in the coming weeks and will be developing the detail of their recommendations over the next 12 months. Community representatives on the Commission will be working closely with the Social Homes for Manchester campaign coalition to organise neighbourhood-based briefing sessions across the city, raising awareness about housing and planning policy and ways to work with local councillors to secure better outcomes for their local area.
Social Homes for Manchester is a coalition of community associations, charities, think tanks, academics and social justice organisations focused on accelerating the number of social homes that are created in Manchester by 2030 and ensuring this is done in an environmentally sustainable way.
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Spotlight on Miles Platting Savers
Read our interview with Dot, Committee Member at Miles Platting Savers, find out about one of the original groups in the Savers Network that is still going strong!
Can you tell us a bit about Miles Platting Savers? When did you start, where and how
often do you meet? How many members do you have?
About 5 years, we meet once a week at the coffee morning at the Church of the Apostles in
Miles Platting. We have about about 20 regulars and 30 savers in the group. We have a mixture of people who come to coffee morning, young and old.
As a group, what would you say are the main benefits for the individuals who save with
you?
It gives them a bit of extra cash to buy stuff they need, people are saving for uniforms,
Christmas and even holidays. I think most of the time you’re saving for something you think you
can’t have, then you realise if you save a little bit you can. There’s definitely a social side to it.
Most people are part of the coffee and some are visiting the social supermarket and they are
savers too. We definitely go in, have a cup of tea and have a chin wag and a catch up.
Has working with the other groups helped Miles Platting Savers to develop, learn, expand
or do things differently?
I think so, we see how other groups do theirs and then think if it works for us we can have a go.
I think it helps just to talk about what other groups are doing.
As well as the savings group, are Miles Platting Savers involved in any other community
projects and what are the impact of these?
We are members of MPCAN (Miles Platting Community and Age-friendly Network) – there’s loads of stuff going on thinking about the community building, the green spaces. I haven’t been to all the recent meetings due to my health but they let me know what’s happening.
What can we expect to see next from Miles Platting Savers next – does the group have
any plans for the future?
There’s a day trip planned to go to RHS Bridgewater so we can go there together in June. May
Fairweather from Talk about Money is going to come in to teach all ages from children to adults
how to save a bit and where to save. They are trying to get the people who use the community
shop (Social Supermarket at the Apostles) who have got kids to get involved, because I think if
you teach the kids the kids can teach the adults. I think that the Talk about Money sessions will
be a good way to get people to come in with the idea of getting the kids to teach their parents to
do a bit of saving.
To find out more check out the Miles Platting Savers page here: https://communitysavers.net/project/miles-platting-savers/
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MPCAN visits Homebaked CLT and Kitty’s Launderette in Liverpool
In November last year, members of the Miles Platting Community and Age-Friendly network (MPCAN) had a day out in Liverpool to visit and learn more about Homebaked Community Land Trust https://homebaked.org.uk/ and Kitty’s Launderette https://kittyslaunderette.org.uk/. Moving forward with a community-led development of the St Cuthbert’s church site, the St Cuthbert’s action group are becoming inspired by other community hubs, gaining ideas they hope to bring to developing a new social space for local residents in Miles Platting. Previously, MPCAN have visited Gorton Hub, Moston Miners and the Carlton Club in Whalley Range- these are great projects we have already learnt lots from!
Homebaked Community Land Trust
Our first stop of the day was Homebaked, where Tom Murphy (local resident, coordinator and secretary) gave us insight into the journey they took to becoming a community- land trust (CLT). This is a not for profit, incorporated organisation established for furthering community benefit. They are run by volunteers to deliver housing and other community assets at permanent, genuinely affordable levels for local people. CLTs allow communities to own, take control of, and develop their own land.
Tom talked to MPCAN members about the challenges that Homebaked have faced, not only from initially choosing a governance model that didn’t work for them, but also being situated just opposite Liverpool Football Club, on the boundary of Everton and Anfield. We learnt more about pros and cons of different legal structures and how they eventually became a community land trust. This discussion was especially useful for the St Cuthbert’s action group as we think about potential governance models to move the project forward into 2024.
Homebaked is currently working with URBED to refurbish the terraced homes on Oakfield Road using a retrofit approach. This aligns with their belief that residents all deserve to live well and have access to warm, affordable homes, alongside good quality jobs, and welcoming spaces for the community to meet, learn, and celebrate.
After an informative tour and chat, MPCAN members made a pit stop to the next door sister organisation, Homebaked bakery, to try their famous pies. Thank you to Tom and Homebaked CLT for sharing your wisdom and knowledge with us! We learnt so much from hearing all about your journey.
Kitty’s Launderette
Next up we went around the corner to Grasmere Street, where project lead Anthony Scott welcomed us into Kitty’s Laundrette. This is a community launderette and social space offering affordable, ecological laundry and dry-cleaning services, as well as a space for local residents to gather. Named after Kitty Wilkinson, an Irish migrant who managed the first washhouse during the cholera epidemic in 1832, Kitty’s Launderette’s main mission is to combat hygiene poverty in the local area.
The laundrette is a workers community cooperative meaning both the workers and the community own and control the space. It is democratically run with regular board meetings involving workers, volunteers and members of the community. They are also a not-for-profit social enterprise, where all profits made are invested back into the local community. Their key areas of social impact include reducing hygiene poverty, providing a sense of community, jobs and inclusive growth, and health & wellbeing.
As Tom also described, Anthony spoke about the local loss of social housing alongside key community-based services such as youth centres and parish halls. Living in the shadow of economic prosperity from the football stadium has had its drawbacks, and the tourist economy has affected the local community. Kitty’s Launderette work to combat this as the space is also host to history talks, weekly knitting and craft groups, film screenings and tie-dye workshops. Last year, they held a total of 48 activities and events!
Anthony also talked us through how the laundrette works- users have the option to do their laundry themselves or leave it up to the workers, with the cheapest wash option being £4. They also take on commercial contracts and often do work for local Airbnbs. People can bring in their own detergent but Kitty’s also sells an environmentally friendly brand called Ecoleaf, which users can refill at the launderette.
Overall, MPCAN members had a great day in Liverpool and brought back tonnes of amazing ideas for the St Cuthbert’s redevelopment project. Thank you so much to Homebaked CLT and Kitty’s Launderette for an enjoyable and informative day. We learnt loads from your brilliant projects and are excited to take this inspiration forward with our plans for Miles Platting!
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Social Homes for Miles Platting Now!
Miles Platting, Ancoats, and Collyhurst residents were out in force on Saturday to call for social homes to be built on a plot of land that has long been earmarked for community benefit.
Over 180 people attended the MPCAN family fun day where members also launched a city-wide campaign for more social homes to be built or brought into use across Manchester amidst a housing crisis in which more than 15,000 households are now on the waiting list for social housing in the city[1].
The Miles Platting PFI regeneration was justified to residents on the basis that there would be a Joint Services Centre providing a suite of NHS services and a Community Hub built at the intersection of Oldham Road and Varley Street behind the current location of Jigsaw Homes offices. This is the site where MPCAN leaders are calling for social homes to be constructed.
The Joint Services Centre was to include three GP practices; a pharmacy; chronic disease management, maternity and children’s health services; drugs misuse and sexual health services; counselling and therapy services; and breast screening and minor surgery. The Community Hub was supposed to incorporate: a new library; new sports facilities; advice and information; services for young people; spaces for community, recreation; and leisure use; and community outreach services.
There was also supposed to be retail facilities and a replacement swimming pool.
These facilities were never developed, and the community have experienced a net loss of 502 social homes following the regeneration (with 240 homes lost to demolition and others through right to buy). Meanwhile, the neighbourhood has been transformed into a landscape of private housing for sale and rent, with no shops or infrastructure to support this new population, creating a food desert, where residents must take two buses to access a supermarket or swimming pool.
Social Homes for Manchester Now!
As well as calling for social homes in Miles Platting, residents launched the Social Homes for Manchester Now! campaign by a coalition of social and climate justice organisations including Friends of the Earth Manchester, GM Tenants Union, Greater Together Manchester, Mustard Tree, Shelter, and Steady State Manchester.
The new spatial framework for Greater Manchester, Places for Everyone, is in the final stage of consultation on modifications which include the removal of specific reference to building social housing (in MM7.5). The new Local Plan for Manchester is being drafted and is expected to be published for consultation in Spring/Summer 2024. Together these policies will decide Manchester’s planning strategy and housing targets for the next 5-10 years.
Social Homes for Manchester Now! are calling on Manchester City Council to take on six key proposals in the context of these new strategic developments which were launched for the first time by Anne Worthington, MPCAN leader and local activist, on Saturday:
Social Homes for Manchester Now! – Six key proposals:
- At least 30% social homes to be included in all new developments of over 10 units to be enacted in local policy and enforced through the setting and enforcement of section 106 obligations.
- Stronger public accountability and scrutiny for the setting and enforcement of developer obligations to build new social housing.
- Establish a Commission on Social Housing for the City of Manchester.
- Create a specific policy for the promotion of Community Led Housing.
- Develop a practical strategy for the renovation/transfer of empty homes into homes for social rent.
- Ensure all new developments are climate and nature friendly.
Download the Social Homes For Manchester Now! briefing to find out how you can Get Involved in this campaign!
Respond to the Places for Everyone Modifications consultation to object to the removal of specific reference to Social Housing in modification MM7.5 here.
MPCAN leaders are now working with other Community Savers affiliates across the city to bring residents together around this campaign and the plots of land in their own neighbourhoods that require Social Homes Now!
[1] There were 14,912 households on the social housing waiting list in Manchester in 2022 and this figure is now likely to be significantly higher. Live tables on rents, lettings and tenancies, Table 600: numbers of households on local authorities’ housing waiting lists, found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-rents-lettings-and-tenancies. We would like to thank Dr Richard Goulding, University of Sheffield, for his support to MPCAN in accessing statistics, research, and information.
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GM Green Spaces Fund invests in Miles Platting Climate Action!
Over £400,000 has been awarded to 16 community-led projects in the latest round of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund. Successful projects are providing access to better green space where it is needed most.
Miles Platting Community and Age Friendly Network (a Community Savers affiliate) are delighted to be one of the Round 3 grantees for their work to develop a wildlife corridor with support from Dr Jenna Ashton at the University of Manchester and a range of other partners:
“The Miles Platting Wildlife Corridor for people and nature will enhance identified spaces and create new habitats in the neighbourhoods of Miles Platting, Manchester. The aim is to improve biodiversity and the local ecosystem, increase interaction and connection between residents and their natural environment, mitigate impacts of climate change, and encourage physical activity between sites and along the Rochdale Canal.” (GMEF, 1Sept 2023)
Community groups who haven’t previously received funding can still apply for support from the Green Spaces Fund, with Round 4 now open.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
“Everyone should have access to quality green space and the benefits that it offers our physical and mental health, but the reality is that some areas of Greater Manchester are worse off than others at present.
“That’s why I’m so pleased to welcome the latest intake of Green Spaces Fund projects, all of which seek to redress the balance. I continue to be amazed by the imagination and endeavour shown by community groups applying for support from fund – from green-fingered growers to champions of biodiversity, the projects that we have been able to back so far are really making a difference to their local areas.
“There’s still time to get backing from the fund, so if you have an idea for how to turn your local area green please do apply and help us make Greater Manchester a greener, fairer place.”
Read the full press release here.
Miles Platting Community and Age-friendly Network (MPCAN) established their Climate Action Group after community leaders came together with support from CLASS and URBED to map public and disused sites across their neighbourhood that was not yet earmarked for development and to create a shared vision for the future of the area in consultation with local residents.
Since then, leaders have identified a series of priorities including:
- the protection and improvement of green spaces and habitat creation for increased biodiversity;
- a community-led redevelopment of the St Cuthberts church site into a worship space and community hub in partnership with the Parochial Church Council.
- increasing the number of social homes available in the area after successive developments and a PFI regeneration programme left the community with a net loss of approximately 500 social homes.
Visit www.mpcan.org.uk to find out more and get involved!
Header image: “Swallows” by A Bird in the Hand Theatre at MPCAN’s climate resilience pageant in July 2023.
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