Northerners doubt Government over ‘level up’ pledge

The research showed that the vast majority (67 per cent) of people living in the North said they are not confident that the Government will deliver on its “levelling up” pledge.

In 2019, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that his new Government would “level up across Britain with higher wages, a higher living wage, and higher productivity”.

Savanta ComRes said the conversation around devolving power and economic infrastructure out of London and the South is one that has been going on for a long time.

It said grand plans have been laid out for the Northern regions over the past decade, with the Northern Powerhouse proposal to boost economic growth in the area a core focus for the previous two Governments.

Alongside the regional disparity, the research also looked in depth at how attitudes towards health, the economy and education have been impacted by coronavirus among respondents in the ITV regions of Yorkshire, Granada, Tyne Tees and Central.

More than half (55 per cent) of respondents said that the Government lifted the national lockdown too early, compared with just one in eight (13 per cent) who said it was lifted too late.

When it comes to personal health, around half of all respondents said that their physical health (49 per cent) and their mental health (49 per cent) has remained at the same level since lockdown began.

However, when it comes to physical health, one in three (28 per cent) said it has deteriorated, compared with one in five (21 per cent) who said it has improved.

When it comes to mental health, two in five (38 per cent) said it has deteriorated compared with just one in ten (11 per cent) who said it has improved.

In terms of people’s personal finance, around a third (33 per cent) across all regions said it has deteriorated since the pandemic hit, compared with just 17 per cent who said it has improved.

In addition, Savanta ComRes said bricks and mortar stores were already suffering from a boost to online shopping sales before March and the pandemic has brought concerns to the forefront.