Soaring inflation leaves workers in west Cumbria hit hardest in North of England

New analysis I’ve done based on ONS data published last month reveals soaring inflation has left the average worker in west Cumbria a staggering £1,213 worse off since 2021 – higher than in any other area in the North of England.

In 2021 the average wage in the Copeland local authority area was £35,908. Real pay fell 2.6% in 2022 and a further 0.8% in 2023.

The falls come at a time when taxes are at their highest levels in 70 years. Meanwhile, the average 2 year fixed mortgage has this month hit 6.6% – the highest since the financial crisis in 2008, and even higher than when the Conservatives crashed the economy in Autumn 2022.

Working people are taking a hammering under the Conservatives. Inflation is out of control, real wages are collapsing, and the Tory Mortgage Penalty is pushing monthly payments through the roof and keeping potential first time buyers locked out of home ownership. Yet instead of a real plan to help families through the cost of living crisis, all we get from this government is glib rubbish telling us to ‘hold our nerve’.

Families in west Cumbria need real change and a real plan. That’s what I’ll provide as the local MP and a Labour Government will provide. Our Mission-led government will prioritise strong growth and rising wages in every part of the country including places like west Cumbria.

Tory economic mismanagement is costing us all a fortune. A General Election can’t come soon enough.