People of Leeds and the North deserve better - YEP Comment

People living in the North of England had a 17 per cent higher mortality rate due to Covid-19, compared to the rest of the nation.

The findings, published in a new report by the Northern Health Science Alliance, also reveal that those in the North were made poorer and suffered more time in lockdown than elsewhere.

The report’s grim statistics underline the need for the Government to tackle this issue head on.

For too long here in Leeds we have heard the same regurgitated pledge about ‘levelling up the North’.

Whether it is begging for mass transit system funding for the city or being harder-hit by Covid-19 measures, the bottom line is clear: we are not receiving equal treatment compared to other areas of the country.

And that has to change.

The people of Leeds - and across the North - deserve to have an equal footing for their cities, livelihoods, families and healthcare.