Seaside dwellers ‘£1,600 worse off’
NEW figures show that workers in seaside towns such as Southport earn on average £1,600 a year less than those living inland.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Coastal Communities says the latest figures show that seaside areas are “being left behind”.
Poverty levels locally are already a concern for many.
Southport Foodbank reported distributing just under 50,000 meals in 2018/19, while worries over problems with the Universal Credit system, have also been expressed.
According to Labour’s Southport parliamentary candidate Liz Savage, government plans will mean approximately one in four local households being placed on the system.
Universal Credit has been criticised over its introduction and the suffering it has caused through penalties and delays to payments, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn describing it as an “unmitigated disaster”.
Ms Savage said the new figures, released by the BBC after analysis of Office of National Statistics data, reinforce fears over the long term effects of austerity policies.
She said: “The incredible wealth in this country has to be shared far more equitably. Towns like Southport would benefit greatly from such an approach. That and policies such as promptly bringing in a real living wage of at least £10 an hour; building genuinely affordable homes and ending the thoroughly discredited Universal Credit system will make a real difference to the lives of many in the area.”