Yorkshire consumers ‘take gloomy view’

The Hitachi Personal Finance survey, which is published every six months, found that just 26 per cent of people in Yorkshire described the economy as good or excellent, which means they are the among most pessimistic in Britain. Yorkshire’s eight per cent rise in confidence falls below the national rise of 12 per cent and leaves Yorkshire far short of confidence levels elsewhere, such as the 42 per cent recorded in London and 35 per cent in the wider South and Scotland. The North East and North West shared Yorkshire’s pessimism, with just 26 per cent of people in both regions describing the economy in positive terms. According to Hitachi, Yorkshire residents suffered a six per cent drop in confidence in their own personal finances during the same period, with just 45 per cent describing them as good or excellent, while the North East remained static and the North West dropped two per cent.

Overall those in the North were least confident in the economy (28 per cent) and those in the South the most confident (35 per cent).

Hitachi Personal Finance managing director Gerald Grimes said: “Despite improved confidence in the economic recovery, this data also shows old regional divisions persist. Yorkshire is recovering but it’s a far more fragile recovery that may take longer.”

The Hitachi Consumer Comfort Report surveyed 2,000 respondents in the UK between December 4 and 12 2013 and 2,068 between May 13 and 16 2014. Quotas were used to keep the profiles consistent.