Falinge estate in Rochdale most deprived in England.

[kippaxkid74]

im amazed that its only 3 out of 4 that are on benefits at that shithole,one way to solve the problem drop a bomb on the place

And freehold flats are any better? They look identical but never get in these surveys due to the reasons i posted above.

Decent people in those flats (yes they may be at a 70/30 disadvantage) don't deserve a bomb dropped on them. If you read my post you'll maybe get how the figures are twisted each year.

I'd like to point out that each year they announce this, they always miss out the fact that they are not talking about "just" the actual estate of flats (called "lower falinge" actually), but the area that includes a section of the town centre - the section that the hostels are in, where many of the local homeless/ reformed (ish) drinkers etc etc are temporarily living. All those are on benefit, and it's those figures that push the "falinge" area into being listed as the "scum of the earth"!! The actual flats have decent people there - maybe not all of them, but many are in full time work and good decent people (and no, i don't live there before you accuse! but i did know people who lived on there, and they were in full time work paying full rent and taking no benefits, and they don't smoke drink or have sky!).
A friend also works for the council and had access to the maps they use for these surverys, and that showed that it's not the "Falinge" area just used, it uses the same size area again further into the town with the hostels etc. So don't just tar anyone who lives there, there's good people! But it's easy for the press to take moody rainy pictures of the flats and blame everyone there instead.

I just looked on the daily mail site as well, and would like to point out the photo they use of
"A pub stands boarded up in the centre of the district"
is A) not at the centre of the district, it's on the edge that borders "Spotland",
and B) is being turned into a restaurant at much expense to the owners and should open in weeks!
Typical easy media target, reporting like this makes me really pissed off..

 

[Rascal]

A typical anti-poor Daily Mail story.

Reporting that 80% live on Benefit is designed to make people think of scroungers.

Ask yourself this if the Mail did a story on say Eastbourne retirement village would it report that 1000% of people live on benefits.

Correct Rascal, do you read much from Owen Jones?

Yes, i have read his book and read him in the Indy.

 

[BlueMo']

I'd like to point out that each year they announce this, they always miss out the fact that they are not talking about "just" the actual estate of flats (called "lower falinge" actually), but the area that includes a section of the town centre - the section that the hostels are in, where many of the local homeless/ reformed (ish) drinkers etc etc are temporarily living. All those are on benefit, and it's those figures that push the "falinge" area into being listed as the "scum of the earth"!! The actual flats have decent people there - maybe not all of them, but many are in full time work and good decent people (and no, i don't live there before you accuse! but i did know people who lived on there, and they were in full time work paying full rent and taking no benefits, and they don't smoke drink or have sky!).
A friend also works for the council and had access to the maps they use for these surverys, and that showed that it's not the "Falinge" area just used, it uses the same size area again further into the town with the hostels etc. So don't just tar anyone who lives there, there's good people! But it's easy for the press to take moody rainy pictures of the flats and blame everyone there instead.

Well said.

 

[blue rebel]

Sad really but how can they still afford cigarettes like that man puffing away clearly shows. Surely poverty is having to live on bare essentials?

How do you know that guy is on the poverty line, just because the area is poor does not mean that everyone in it is

 

[peoffrey]

Sad really but how can they still afford cigarettes like that man puffing away clearly shows. Surely poverty is having to live on bare essentials?

How do you know that guy is on the poverty line, just because the area is poor does not mean that everyone in it is

It's quite possible to live a basic life on benefits if you don't want nice things at home. If he's on the sick then he's getting the major outgoings paid for by everyone else and cheap fags from a Bloke with a sports bag won't break the bank.

 

[MCFCTrick]

Falinge is no worse than many other places in the country.

And neither is Dale in general. Got some decent areas too...

 

[Sven's Fluffer]

Rochdale on the whole has become depressing to be honest. Shopping, eating and drinking is on its arse. It somehow feels tired and gloomy, possibly soulless. Shame really as I loved the place in my teens. If you are fortunate enough to find a job on the industrial estates on the outskirts they likely to be on an agency/temp basis. I blame the council I suppose, just doesn't seem to have been able to attract any investment aside from shitty kebab shops. Bury on the other hand appears fresher, lively and modern.
The only significant investment made by the council I can think of recently are gyms in dale, midd and Heywood. Good idea but not likely to reinvigorate entire communities.

 

[Ducado]

Once a place like this develops, it's very hard to break the cycle of deprivation. There are lots of places like this, you will find at least one nearly as bad in every borough in Greater Manchester.

Mind you, Rochdale was never a rich place, and the decline of its cotton industry started in the 1920s. Not enough new industries have been created to take up the slack. Anyone who thinks there's an easy solution is kidding themselves.

You are quite right, I don't know the answers either, we are never going to get back to a low skill economy that needs loads of unskilled workers, and it's not likely that we will have a mass mobilisation of armed forces to take up the slack.

I guess the only hope is that somehow some of the occupants try and make the effort to get out, like their forefathers (and mothers) did, there seems to be little Social Mobility nowadays, I remember doing surveys on council houses and what struck me was that many of the Children of the original tenants had done far better for themselves, and moved out of the estate (my parents for example) there seemed to be an ethos of trying to get out of poverty and it was not restricted tot he post war period, it started with the Workers Education in 19th Century Manchester

 

[cockneycarparkm32]

got as far as <a class="postlink" href="http://www.daily" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.daily</a> m... pfft. They write so much shite they make the daily sport seem newsworthy .They dont like brown people do they

 

[peoffrey]

Once a place like this develops, it's very hard to break the cycle of deprivation. There are lots of places like this, you will find at least one nearly as bad in every borough in Greater Manchester.

Mind you, Rochdale was never a rich place, and the decline of its cotton industry started in the 1920s. Not enough new industries have been created to take up the slack. Anyone who thinks there's an easy solution is kidding themselves.

You are quite right, I don't know the answers either, we are never going to get back to a low skill economy that needs loads of unskilled workers, and it's not likely that we will have a mass mobilisation of armed forces to take up the slack.

I guess the only hope is that somehow some of the occupants try and make the effort to get out, like their forefathers (and mothers) did, there seems to be little Social Mobility nowadays, I remember doing surveys on council houses and what struck me was that many of the Children of the original tenants had done far better for themselves, and moved out of the estate (my parents for example) there seemed to be an ethos of trying to get out of poverty and it was not restricted tot he post war period, it started with the Workers Education in 19th Century Manchester

I think the problem is that people in that kind of cycle tend to hold eachother back. When there's no support network for someone wanting to move away and better themselves then it's an incredibly daunting prospect. Some people have the strength of character to get through it but I've met many who've come to London and left again because they've not been able to settle or adjust.

There was an air of resentment towards me from glorified drinking buddies who thought I was letting the side down when I left Manchester. Sadly I'd listened to their nihilism for far too long.