Disposable incomes in North Yorkshire ‘the highest in the region’

With some parts of the UK having five times more money left after tax than others, the Equality Trust said the figures were “a damning indictment of the glaring inequalities” that exist throughout the country.

The average person in North Yorkshire had £22,354 left after tax in 2018, the most recent Office for National Statistics data shows.

This was 6% higher than in 2017, and meant the area’s residents had the highest gross disposable household incomes in region.

However, people in Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham had more than double as much – left with £63,286 each. The lowest disposable – £13,138 – was in Nottingham.

Dr Wanda Wyporska, executive director at the Equality Trust, said: “The figures are a damning indictment of the glaring inequalities between London and the rest of the country and between north and south, rich and poor.

“This is even more important, as part of the background to the current Covid-19 crisis, which we know has seen higher rates of death in more deprived areas.

“We know that high levels of inequality are accompanied by higher levels of poor mental and physical health, drug and alcohol addiction, violent crime and imprisonment and lower levels of social mobility and educational attainment.”

Anna Stevenson, a welfare benefit expert at anti-poverty charity Turn2us, said the economy needs to be rebuilt after the coronavirus crisis to work for everyone.

A spokesman for the Treasury said they have injected more than £6.5 billion into the welfare system. He said: “Our unprecedented package of support will help ensure we continue to support people across the country as our economy reopens – levelling up the country to create an economy that benefits the whole of the UK will be a crucial part of this.

“We have protected more than 8.7 million jobs across the UK with the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme, seen 2.5 million people apply for our self-employed support scheme, introduced mortgage and tax deferrals and made the welfare safety net more generous and efficient.”