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Report shows North East women could be hardest hit by spending review

AHEAD of the Government Comprehensive Spending Review, new figures show that spending cuts will have a disproportionate impact on the North East’s women.

According to new figures published today by the Northern TUC, almost half of all working women in the North East are employed in the public sector raising fears that job losses will plunge many households into poverty.

On average 46% of all women who work in the North East are employed within the public sector. This represents the highest proportion in England and compares to 31% of women working in London employed by the public sector.

In some areas of the North East 2 in 3 of all women in work are employed in public sector jobs. The Government has indicated it will be looking to cut public spending by £83 Billion at the Comprehensive Spending Review leading to at least 600,000 public sector job losses.

Kevin Rowan Regional Secretary of the Northern TUC called on the Government to halt plans for savage spending cuts and adopt alternative approaches to deficit reduction:

He said: “The Government is pursuing plans of savage cuts that will undermine services, destroy jobs and harm communities across the North East. Our research shows that the region’s working women are going to be disproportionately in the firing line. They didn’t cause the financial crisis and should not be paying for it with their livelihoods. Instead we need to see a Government strategy of job creation, growth and increasing taxes from the wealthiest in society and not measures that hit the innocent.”

Bridget Phillipson, Member of Parliament for Houghton and Sunderland South said: “Today’s Northern TUC figures reveal that significant spending cuts will directly affect the livelihoods of North East women and could have a devastating impact on many households. Government cuts will see the abolition of the Health in Pregnancy Grant and the Sure Start Maternity Grant and there are also proposals to reduce Child Benefit.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .