900,000 working age adults in the North West are living in poverty

Lynn Collins, Regional Secretary of the North West Trade Union Congress

Working age poverty in the North West has barely fallen since 2010/11, despite regional unemployment falling significantly, a TUC analysis of new official poverty figures published on Thursday (22 March) has found.

The proportion of working age people living in poverty was 23% in 2010/11, and 22% in 2016/17, according to today’s new figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The poor progress comes despite unemployment in the North West falling from 7.8% in 2011 to 4.3% in 2017.

TUC Regional Secretary for the North West, Lynn Collins said: “If you work hard, you shouldn’t have to worry about making ends meet. But despite rising employment, lots of working families in the North West are living in poverty.

“And unless ministers reverse their planned cuts to universal credit, things will get much worse.

“Working people in the North West desperately need a new deal. This means cracking down on zero-hours contracts and sham self-employment. More public investment is needed in infrastructure and public services to support the creation of great jobs that a family can live on.”