YP Comment: May must make sure work pays

THERE was once a time when older generations might have expected the younger members of their family to be able to lend a spot of financial support in their twilight years. Today, that relationship has been turned on its head.

The Bank of Mum and Dad has, in many cases, morphed into the Bank of Grandma and Grandad. More than half of grandparents are giving money to families, on average a not inconsiderable £571 a year.

At a time of life when they should be reaping the benefits of decades of hard work, many pensioners are having to make sacrifices to give their children and grandchildren a leg up.

Admittedly, in some instances this is a result of altered – and misguided – perceptions among younger generations as to what constitutes an everyday essential.

It is also, however, an indictment of another phenomenon – the growing gap between average salaries and the spiralling cost of living.

Where pensioner incomes have increased to the extent that they are now the least likely major demographic group to be in income poverty, the “new poor” tend to live in households where there is at least one person in work.

Today’s report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies offers further proof that much more needs to be done in order to truly make work pay.

Its findings also explain why so many people living in parts of this region and others where there is a perception that wages have been driven down by cheap migrant labour voted to leave the European Union.

It is, frankly, shameful that two-thirds of those children classified as living below the Government’s poverty line are poor despite the fact that at least one of their parents has a job.

David Cameron promised to create a Britain in which aspiration and hard work were rewarded. It is to be hoped that his successor enjoys greater success on this front.

Northern voice

Powerhouse project lives on

IT would be stretching the truth somewhat to suggest George Osborne was considered a champion of the North. Yet, as the architect of the Northern Powerhouse, his departure from government and the shifting of dedicated minister James Wharton to International Development posed questions as to the future of the project.

The appointment of Brigg and Goole MP Andrew Percy to the role should therefore be welcomed in as much as it shows Theresa May takes seriously the conundrum of how best to bridge the North-South divide.

As a straight-talking, hard-working politician who is passionately committed to Yorkshire, Mr Percy can be expected to fight the region’s corner – not least when it comes to calling for the level of investment that is needed for it to flourish.

Mrs May’s speech on assuming office suggests that she recognises the message within the Brexit vote: that many feel they are governed by figures who are too remote from their lives.

Her pledge to lead a Government that “will do everything it can to give you more control over your lives” fits in with the drive toward regional devolution and a much bigger role for local leadership in our national life.

Yet Mr Percy will surely acknowledge that for Mrs May’s vision to be realised, more city regions need to be convinced that the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse is genuine and that devolution deals are in their best interests.

Proof of that commitment could come in no better form than the substantial investment in infrastructure that is needed to fulfil the North’s economic potential.

Sizzling heatwave

Temperatures are set to soar

SUMMER has finally arrived, with much of the country seeing temperatures soar – just in time for the start of the school holidays.

Record highs of 31C (87F) were recorded in several parts of England yesterday, making it the hottest day of the year so far. And the mini-heatwave is set to continue today with temperatures in Yorkshire expected to reach as high as 30C.

However, the hot and humid air is expected to trigger thunderstorms across much of the country, with the possibility of flash-flooding in some places. And anyone hoping this heatwave will trigger a repeat of the scorching summer 40 years ago – when temperatures were often above 27C (80F) and we had the longest number of consecutive days without rain – is in for a disappointment.

The Met Office says by the end of the week the weather will be back to normal. So as the old adage says, better make hay while the sun shines.