Captain Johno,
the only thing I can add is that ATCO wages are not going to pay for your ATPL, but they will give you access to the £60k or so loan required to fund it.
In your situation and at your age, if I was determined to become a commercial pilot, I would do the ATCO training and once validated, live in the cheapest place you can tolerate, buy a property to develop and then sell it.
Do that three or four times over 3 years and you should have enough funding to do the ATPL without having any commitments other than a mortgage.
It's a crap time to sell property, but if you go for mid range bungalows or houses in the right places and be realistic about returns, you always make something out of it.
You're going have to be very disciplined but the above is very achievable if you are (I know cos' I've done it & still do), anyway, take advice and good luck to you.