YORKSHIRE has been hit harder than any other UK region by public sector spending cuts, it is claimed.
A study by the TUC said the poorest families are being hit hardest by the Government’s austerity measures – with an average loss of £390 per person in some areas of the country.
Yorkshire was worst-affected with a 4.4% fall in public spending during the first half of the year compared with a 3.8% drop for the UK as a whole.
The study looks at the impact of cuts in regional development agency spending and the end of the Future Jobs Fund and the Building Schools for the Future programme.
The union organisation said it was worried that the Government’s austerity measures were hitting regional economies badly.
General secretary Brendan Barber said: “The Government said its initial spending cuts would root out inefficiencies and barely be noticed, but the reality is that cancelling school rebuilding projects and job support for young people has had a real impact on people’s lives across the country.
“Not only are the poorest families being hit hardest by the Government’s faltering austerity plan, the cuts are not being spread evenly across the country.
“Areas of high public sector employment are particularly vulnerable to higher joblessness and reduced consumer demand, which in turn is stifling the private sector.”
Mr Barber said: “For all the talk of economic rebalancing, all we are seeing is a growing north-south divide, with City-led growth down south while other regions are struggling.
