Research reveals Pendle is one of UK’s lowest paid areas

Residents of Pendle earn just £398.60 a week – just over half of what those in UK’s highest earning area, Westminster, earn. The UK average weekly wage if £504 a week.

The research, by employment experts Digital ID, analysed ONS data on gross weekly wages in every local authority in the UK to discover which areas have the highest and lowest weekly salaries.

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson confirmed the research was backed up by data from the Office of National Statistics and said the Government's Levelling Up agenda was designed to bring areas like Pendle in line with more affluent regions in the country.

He said: “Evidence from the Office for National Statistics shows what most Pendle residents and I already know – that compared to London and much of the South East, wages are much lower locally.

“It is this regional inequality that is driving the Prime Minister’s Levelling Up agenda, which is all about bringing up living standards in all parts of our country and not just already affluent areas.

“It’s also why I’ve been fighting so hard to keep highly skilled jobs in Pendle such as those at Rolls-Royce in Barnoldswick. I regularly meet with local employers and business groups to help support them create new jobs, and with education providers to develop the higher-value skills future generations will need to earn good wages.

“As Transport Minister responsible for HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, I’ve also been able to contribute to the £96 billion Integrated Rail Plan. This is the biggest ever public investment in Britain’s rail network. It will better connect towns and cities across the north and midlands and play a big role in tackling the long-standing regional inequalities we see today.”