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The Government has Failed the North

While we're all focusing our attention on Brexit, we must also make sure we're aware of our domestic affairs, and in fact need to be more aware of where blame lays for changes to our region.

We should be able to identify the culprits of our region's problems, and the people making the political decisions, and whether we think they're necessary. It is a Tory Government decision to de-fund the north. Austerity is a political choice that was made by this Government, and these numbers show that the north has been suffering the brunt of these so that more prosperous regions, regions where people are already doing better off, and where life expectancy and education outcome is already better, can see increases in public spending, and these increases show that the de-funding of the public sector that the north has seen are not necessary.

The North has seen a drop in public spending of 3.4%, worth £6.3 billion, compared to an increase in the South of 2%, worth £3.2 billion. Cuts in a region where pay has fallen most dramatically, where people are dying earlier, and becoming seriously ill earlier.

This shouldn't be used to create division between the North and the South; we are one country and we are united, but it should be used to see that the Government has abandoned the North, and is creating division. This shortfall is not the result of natural phenomena, it is the result of our region being abandoned by our Government, and we should be aware of that.

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