![\"Lancashire](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JS390479731-1.jpg\")
Lancashire Hill is based in Stockport, just outside the town centre (Image: Sean Hansford \/ MEN)<\/p>\nResidents have reported major problems living in Lancashire Hill.<\/p>\n
07:16, 29 Dec 2025Updated 07:21, 29 Dec 2025<\/p>\n
Lancashire Hill is based in Stockport, just outside the town centre (Image: Sean Hansford \/ MEN)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s morning and Martha Machiek wakes up after spending the night sleeping on the couch with her three-year-old son.<\/p>\n
The family of nine lives in The Bentleys building on Lancashire Hill, an area ranked the most deprived in Greater Manchester<\/a>. They have three bedrooms and one toilet to share.<\/p>\n The family came to the UK after fleeing war in South Sudan. They moved to a refugee camp in Kenya, and then to England in a resettlement programme.<\/p>\n Ms Machiek, 29, has lived on Lancashire Hill since 2021, and shares her home with her four children, aged three, 10, 12, and 14, her two brothers, sister and niece.<\/p>\n \u201cLife is really hard on Lancashire Hill,\u201d she said. \u201cOne of my sons who has medical issues can\u2019t share a room with anybody, he has the box room.<\/p>\n \u201cAnother one of my son\u2019s is 12 and is sharing with my niece and sister in one room, and my three-year-old baby and I sleep on the couch.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have just one toilet, the children have to fight to use it, they are very stressed.\u201d<\/p>\n Flats at Lancashire Hill are managed by Stockport<\/a> Homes, a social housing provider which is owned by the council but operates independently as an arms length management organisation.<\/p>\n The family of nine said they\u2019ve faced numerous issues in their flat, which they feel have not been resolved.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year the heating system was changed, and now it\u2019s been a year and we don\u2019t have hot water because we can\u2019t afford it,\u201d Ms Machiek said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I put \u00a320 in the children just go to brush their teeth and it\u2019s gone, I couldn\u2019t afford it so I just stopped, we only use it for a shower.\u201d<\/p>\n They also shared images of mould patches on the ceiling of their flat, and on windows.<\/p>\n Ms Machiek, who works as a carer, said she has reported the problem to Stockport Homes who have tried to help, but the mould has not gone away.<\/p>\n She explained: \u201cThe room is still the same, the windows are still the same, we\u2019re using spray on the window from Amazon because the children can\u2019t breathe at night.<\/p>\n \u201cThey just keep booking an appointment, people come here and just do bit by bit, they focus on the bathroom, but I showed them my living room wall is leaking on the roof, but there\u2019s no change or anything, it looks all black [mould].<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had so many problems on Lancashire Hill over the years, we\u2019ve experienced bullying, racial abuse, my children can\u2019t play on that park. I\u2019m so depressed, I\u2019m off work now because I\u2019ve been seeing my doctor about the whole situation.<\/p>\n \u201cStockport Homes don\u2019t have empathy for me, since I moved here our lives became miserable. I was breaking down at work, I just keep crying.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lancashire Hill estate opened in the late 1960s, and Stockport, like other parts of the country, is facing huge demand for social housing.<\/p>\n Stark data shared by the council at the end of last year revealed that some face a 12-year wait for social housing, with thousands of people on the housing register.<\/p>\n Adding to Stockport\u2019s challenges, the council missed out on a slice<\/a> of the government\u2019s \u00a3600m recovery grant at the start of 2025 – cash that was distributed based on deprivation levels and council tax income.<\/p>\n Stockport Homes said it is aware of the issues facing residents on Lancashire Hill, and takes action when problems are reported.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said: \u201cWe know that some residents on the Lancashire Hill estate are experiencing real challenges, and we\u2019re sorry to hear how difficult this has been for people living there. Everyone deserves to feel safe, supported and listened to in their home.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere issues are reported, including reports of damp and mould, they are investigated and action is taken within statutory timeframes, and support is available for residents who are struggling or need additional help.<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus is on supporting residents, improving day-to-day living conditions, and being open about the challenges while we work towards longer-term solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n Stockport Homes explained that it has been supporting Ms Machiek and her family since February 2025 to find suitable housing, but because demand for larger homes far exceeds supply in Stockport, it has been a challenge.<\/p>\n The social housing provider also said that it will contact Ms Machiek to provide guidance and explore wider support with the cost of her heating.<\/p>\n Others living on Lancashire Hill have faced problems too, but many say they could not imagine living anywhere else.<\/p>\n Stephen Bennett, 70, lives in the 22-storey Hanover Towers, and said there are loads of positives about the community.<\/p>\n He told the Manchester Evening News (MEN): \u201cIf you come around here you won\u2019t get any trouble, there are good people. I wouldn\u2019t move from here unless I was forced out.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Bennett explained that while life can be tough on the estate, people are looking out for each other on the whole.<\/p>\n But frustration is growing over repeated problems, such as broken lifts in his high-rise block.<\/p>\n He added: “What\u2019s out of order is the amount of it, there\u2019s just not enough [being done].<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been in the lift while it\u2019s broken, I\u2019ve walked 16 floors because of the lifts not working. It needs rebuilding, but it\u2019s all down to investment.”<\/p>\n Stockport Homes confirmed that there have been four lift breakdowns in the last six months, and all of these were resolved \u2018within required timeframes\u2019.<\/p>\n Broken lifts have also been an issue for mum-of-four Jayne Warner, who lives in an 11th floor property in Pendlebury Tower.<\/p>\n She contacted the MEN<\/a> in the summer after her newborn son was born with complex medical needs, including a cleft palate, and had a tube in his nose to help with breathing at the time.<\/p>\n Ms Warner said the broken lifts had left her worried about being trapped in a medical emergency.<\/p>\n Months later, she\u2019s still living in the same flat in the high-rise tower. She said: \u201cI’m still in the same flat, and after the article Stockport Homes never reached out to me.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are still issues with the lifts, they’ve only just been repaired after being broken. Only my housing officer was trying to support me to get me a new flat.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Warner is a key part of the community and has helped organise events to bring people together at Lancashire Hill, but she said she\u2019s finding it harder all the time.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a lot of anger about the state of Lancashire Hill. We\u2019re trying to make it better for the community, but we\u2019re getting to the stage where we feel like what\u2019s the point.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca Pywell, 41, lives in neighbouring Hanover Towers. She said she has witnessed homeless people sleeping on the estate, including inside buildings.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cThe lifts are always breaking down, so I have to walk down the stairs with a pram with my eight-month old. It happens all the time, I\u2019ve been stuck in the lift twice.”<\/p>\n The issues at Lancashire Hill are a regular topic of debate at Stockport council<\/a> meetings.<\/p>\n![\"Martha](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JS390479725.jpg\")
Martha Machiek said life is difficult living in Lancashire Hill (Image: Sean Hansford \/ MEN)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JS390479603.jpg\")
The Lancashire Hill estate is in the most deprived area in Greater Manchester according to new deprivation date (Image: Sean Hansford \/ MEN)<\/p>\n![\"Mould](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JS391187704.jpg\")
Mould in Martha’s flat on the Lancashire Hill estate in Stockport.<\/p>\n![\"Residents](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JS390479722.jpg\")
Residents Stephen Bennett (L) and Rebecca Pywell at Lancashire Hill (Image: Sean Hansford \/ MEN)<\/p>\n
![\"Coun](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JS390479727.jpg\")
Coun James Frizzell has been supporting residents on Lancashire Hill (Image: Sean Hansford \/ MEN)<\/p>\n