Exclusive: Rural heartland at risk of mass exodus in the great pay divide

Data from the Office for National Statistics show the average wage in the lowest-paid district in Yorkshire has now fallen nearly 35 per cent behind pay in the highest-earning area, with fears growing over the mass exodus of young skilled workers from the region’s traditional rural heartlands.

Research undertaken by the Yorkshire Post confirms efforts over the past decade to close the pay gap between urban and rural areas have largely failed, with wages paid in remote districts still lagging way behind earnings in towns and cities.

Huge disparities also continue to exist between male and female pay, and between Yorkshire’s more prosperous cities such as Leeds and York and more deprived areas like Bradford, Grimsby and Hull.

And with the UK’s economy still practically flat-lining following the deepest recession since the war, there are concerns over the ability of low-wages areas to recover as public sector cuts begin to bite.

In remote Richmondshire in the North Yorkshire Dales, where the average wage paid to workers is less than £19,300 – 34.4 per cent lower than in the region’s highest-earning area – local council leader John Blackie warned of a coming “cyclone” for the local economy as young people leave the area in their droves in search of better-paid work. “We are well aware of these issues here in Richmondshire, and it is not a pretty picture,” he said. “We have had the storm clouds gathering here for years, and we are now looking at a cyclone.

“We are losing jobs and we are losing workers to towns and cities. Our real concern now is how we will be able to keep our communities vibrant and stable and hang onto our local youngsters when the forecasts for the local economy look so bleak.”

Analysis by regional economists shows wages are lower in many parts of the Dales than in more urban areas because the traditional industries are typically low-paid and often offer only seasonal and part-time work.

James Farrar of North Yorkshire’s economic assessment unit said: “These are very important issues as they affect the whole structure of the local economy.

“Clearly there’s a real disparity between wages in rural areas such as Richmondshire and in urban parts such as York.

“There’s a clear rationale behind that – if you look at the basis of Richmondshire’s local economy it is primarily centred around agriculture and around tourism. These are traditionally low-paid industries which often offer only seasonal or part-time work.

“If you compare the sort of jobs available there with some of the highly-paid industries in places like Leeds or York, then it’s not surprising to see that average wage levels are considerably lower.”

At the other end of the scale, the highest average wage in the region can be found in North Lincolnshire, where highly-skilled workers at major industrial sites such as Scunthorpe’s Tata steelworks have long pushed the average up. The typical wage in that district last year was £25,840 – ahead of Leeds and York in second and third place.

Kirsty Westfield, spokeswoman for North Lincolnshire Council, said it was no surprise to the area topping the region’s wage league.

“We have traditionally had high pay in our area, and were already aware of the high wage levels in North Lincolnshire,” she said.

“This is due to the salaries through Tata Steel. It may not necessarily be reflective of the (overall) quality of the jobs in the area.”