West Midlands lowest household income – TUC calls on West Midlands Combined Authority to ‘rise to the challenge’ 

Recently published House of Commons library research has shown that the West Midlands is one of the poorest regions in the UK when it comes to household income.

Once housing costs have been stripped out, average household income in the West Midlands is £370, well below the £459 average in the South East, and the national average of £402.

TUC Midlands Regional Secretary Lee Barron said:

 “These figures demonstrate what we have been saying for years, that the West Midlands has been getting a poor deal and we need to do far more for the people in our region.

“Too many of the jobs in the West Midlands are poorly paid and insecure. We need to see a radically different approach of investment in infrastructure, training and innovative use of procurement to secure decent jobs. And crucially we need to see far smarter social interventions to provide greater equality of opportunity to tackle deprivation and inequality that has been entrenched in too many of our communities for too long. 

“To me, that is the challenge of devolution. If we haven’t shifted these figures in the years to come and given a real boost to household income for all our citizens then devolution will have failed. 

“We will continue to bang the drum for decent jobs and opportunity, we need the WMCA to rise to the challenge of ensuring devolution works for all.”

Median weekly household income by region, before housing costs: 2013/14 to 2015/16

South East    £536
London    £524
East    £499
South West    £474
UK    £471
Scotland    £470
East Midlands    £444
Yorks and Humber    £441
North West    £440
North East    £434
West Midlands    £430
Wales    £428
N. Ireland    £422
 
Median weekly household income by region, after housing costs: 2013/14 to 2015/16

South East    £459
East      £427
Scotland    £419
South West    £407
UK    £402
London    £401
East Midlands    £393
North West    £386
Yorks and Humber    £385
N. Ireland    £380
Wales    £375
North East    £375
West Midlands    £370