Public spending in Yorkshire and the Humber lowest of all regions in England – South Yorkshire Labour leaders say county is being “short changed”

New analysis published by leading think tank IPPR North shows that public spending on the North is lower, and has grown less since 2019, than in other parts of the country.

Their research showed that the lowest total per person public spending in England was in Yorkshire and Humber, at £15,540 per person – £769 less than the England average.

In 2021 (the latest available data), total public spending on the North was £16,223 per person, an increase of 17 per cent on 2019.

This is lower than the England wide average of £16,309 per person, an increase of 20 per cent on 2019.

London saw the highest public spending per person and the highest increase over the course of the levelling up agenda, at £19,231 per person, an increase of 25 per cent.

The news comes three years after Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed his levelling up agenda, in which he vowed to “unleash the productive power not just of London and the South East, but of every corner of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”.

South Yorkshire’s Labour mayor accuses the government of not being “serious about eliminating inequalities”

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard accused the government of being “simply not serious about eliminating the inequalities holding back many of our communities here in South Yorkshire. “

“This government has been in power for 12 years now, and yet, on almost every level the country is in a worse state than when they began,” added Mr Coppard.

“And now, rather than getting on with their jobs, fixing the problems they’ve created, they’re on live television tearing strips off each other, competing over tax cuts which will do nothing to help our communities in a cost of living crisis.”

And MP for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough, Gill Furniss, added : “This is yet another example for the list of levelling up failures by the Conservative Government.

“Northern towns and cities have been starved of funding or given less for far too long.

“There is a cost of living crisis, earnings have stagnated, the tax burden is the highest for 75 years and this is yet another slap in the face for people in Yorkshire.”

Barnsley MPs say the country is “going backwards”, and brands the report “disappointing”

Stephanie Peacock, Barnsley East’s MP said the news is “disappointing”, adding that “from transport links to local health services, this is not good enough.

“It is unfair that local people are bearing the brunt of Government neglect. We deserve our fair share of funding.”

John Healey, Mp for Wentorth and Dearne said: “Despite all the talk about levelling up, these figures show Yorkshire is being short-changed by the Conservatives.

“For 12 years the Tories have taken funding from our local services and given communities small pots of money to scrap over.

“We need a fresh start with a Labour government that will match the ambition that we have for ourselves and our area.”

Dan Jarvis, Barnsley’ central’s MP barnded the report “a damning indictment of the government’s ability to level up the country, and shows that instead of moving forward, we’re actually going backwards.”

“The long-standing challenge of unlocking the huge potential of the North requires substantial and long-term investment. But the government just haven’t provided the transformative funding or the powers needed for local leaders to deliver real change – I saw this every day as Mayor.

“Let’s see if the next Prime Minister can do any better – I’m not holding my breath!”

Doncaster MPs say regional inequality has got worse – and say they are “deeply alarmed”

The Rt Hon Dame Rosie Winterton DBE, MP for Doncaster Central said: “I am deeply alarmed by this new analysis by IPPR.

“The Government has made a lot of noise the last three years with regards to their ‘levelling-up agenda’, however it is clear that if they are genuine in their desire to tackle underinvestment in the North that more must be given to ensure our regions reach their full potential.

“I hope that these discrepancies in public spending are examined to ensure that communities in the North have the same chances as everyone else in England for a productive and fulfilling working life.”

Ed Miliband, Mp for Doncaster North added: “Regional inequality has got worse not better since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, with our region seeing the lowest investment of any area. This report shows that Tory promises cannot be believed.

“The report also confirms what people in my constituency see around them every day with our crumbling public services.

“People are unable to get a doctor’s appointment, unable to register at an NHS dentist, the police don’t have the resources to investigate crimes, and we have a hospital building that isn’t fit for purpose.

“Cities like Doncaster have been neglected by the Tories for the last 12 years. Britain needs a fresh start with a Labour government.”

Council leader says places like Rotherham are “crying out for investment”

The leader of Rotherham Council, councillor Chris Read, says such areas are “crying out” for investment, and that hospitals are reaching “breaking point”

“Perhaps as the Boris Johnson era comes to an end, we might hope that at least a small degree of honesty returns to government.

“The Tories told our communities that ‘levelling up’ was their driving mission, but it never meant any more than some building sites for election leaflet photo ops.

“Places like ours are crying out for investment, but the facts are in and through the period of the Johnson premiership we have continued to fall behind the rest of the country.

“Our hospitals are reaching breaking point, people’s wages are buying less and less, more children are growing up in poverty, and they’re even threatening to take bus services away.

“Whether Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss becomes our next Prime Minister, the least they can do is treat us with a little respect, and drop the ‘levelling up’ slogan for good.”

“Our communities are facing worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation” says Barnsley’s deputy council leader

Councillor Chris Lamb, deputy leader of barnsley Council said: “In Barnsley we’ve seen jobs, business and investment grow faster than most of the rest of the country in recent years – despite the challenges of COVID-19. But we’ve also started from behind the starting line when it comes to historic levels of investment and economic inclusion.

“And, like the rest of the country, our communities are currently facing the worst cost of living crisis in a generation.

“That’s why we understand the value and importance of ‘levelling up’ here in Barnsley. The figures released by IPPR show that public spending is still 5% lower in Yorkshire per person than across the country as a whole.

“Through our own investment as a council we’re doing everything we can to address this, but we also need government to do more.

“We’re currently submitting two ambitious Levelling Up investment plans for government investment to boost our young people’s prospects and grow our culture and visitor economy.

“These are long-term plans to match the long-term nature of what Levelling Up needs to be if we are really to address inequalities.

“The government needs to match its policies with real tangible action and investment in the long-term future of places like Barnsley.

“To date no levelling up resources have been approved for our local authority or our residents and these figures show how unequal the playing field is. We need to see real change and real investment now.”