Incomes in Newcastle Central are consistently lower than the UK average, and significantly lower than wages in London and the South of England.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that incomes in the most prosperous part of Britain – the South-East of England – are 25% higher than the poorest regions, such as the North East.
The UK is unbalanced, and the Government is not doing enough to address inequalities between British regions.
Improvements to infrastructure are one important way this problem could be addressed. However, the Tories have scrapped the electrification of the TransPennine route, essentially pulling the plug on the Northern Powerhouse. Labour, on the other hand, are committed to delivering rail electrification and expansion across the whole country, which will greatly benefit Newcastle Central. Labour would spend £10bn on a ‘Crossrail for the North’ to reverse decades of transport underinvestment that has undermined the economic potential of the region.
This regional income inequality can also be addressed through inter-city cooperation. So Chi met with Sadiq Khan to discuss ways in which London and Newcastle could work together to the benefit of both cities.
Click here to read the Equality Trust’s report on income inequality between UK regions: A Divided Britain : https://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/A%20Divided%20Britain.pdf