‘Left behind’ areas are hit harder by impact of virus, study reveals
DEPRIVED AREAS in Yorkshire, which were already trailing behind the rest of the country, are left at risk of falling even further behind, new analysis has shown.
Research found 28 so-called left behind neighbourhoods across Yorkshire and the Humber, which were suffering from socio-economic deprivation, are being hit harder by the social, economic, and health impacts of coronavirus.
Measured at a ward level, these areas had high levels of unemployment and worse health outcomes before the pandemic hit, according to analysis from the Oxford Centre for Social Inclusion (OCSI) commissioned by charity Local Trust.
Using its Covid-19 vulnerability index – which maps out clinical, demographic and social vulnerability, in addition to health inequalities – the OCSI found the 28 wards spread across Barnsley, Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield, Doncaster, Sheffield, and Hull, scored at a much higher 119.3 than the national average of 85.9.
In these areas, 9.7 per cent of working age adults were unemployed, compared to 6.5 per cent across England.
And those living there were at greater risk of poor health compared to England as a whole.
MPs fear that these factors combined mean that these areas now risk being less well-equipped than the rest of the country to face the economic and social challenges ahead.
And this week an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) was launched to further investigate the underlying issues.
The Labour Hull North MP, Dame Diana Johnson, who is vice chair of the group, said: “For too long, residents in these neighbourhoods across Yorkshire and the Humber – including in my own constituency – have felt that our political system has both ignored them and left them without a stake in the decisions that directly impact upon their lives and livelihoods.” Another group member, the Conservative MP for Rother Valley Alexander Stafford, added: “‘I was elected on the basis of the Prime Minister’s pledge to level up the country, and I am utterly committed to doing so by bringing much-needed jobs and investment to Rother Valley.
“Seeing the damage of the pandemic on neighbourhoods already suffering from high levels of socio-economic deprivation, we need to act to ensure that no one feels left behind.
“As we come out of this difficult period, the APPG will act as key vehicle for representing these areas, both in my constituency and across the region.”
The APPG will examine ways to support these communities to ensure they are more resilient and have better future prospects.
Special report: Pages 14&15.