More deaths, longer lockdowns and lower wages in northern England’s pandemic, figures show

‘Long-standing neglect of communities’ across north left communities more exposed to pandemic, reports Joe Middleton

Members of the public walk past shops in Kendal in Cumbria, north-west England (AFP via Getty Images)

People in the north of England were more likely to die from Covid-19, were made poorer during the first year of pandemic and spent an additional six weeks in lockdowns, new analysis has revealed.

Researchers analysed government statistics to see how areas in the northeast, northwest, Yorkshire and Humber compared to the rest of the country.

The results showed that northerners had a higher mortality rate (17 per cent) due to Covid-19 than the rest of the country and a 14 per cent higher overall mortality due to all causes.