TUC analysis of new official poverty figures published last week has found that working age poverty in the South West has fallen slowly since 2010/11, despite regional unemployment falling significantly. 

The proportion of working age people living in poverty was 20% in 2010/11, and 18% in 2016/17, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Unemployment in the South West fell from 6.6% in 2011 to 3.6% in 2017.

TUC Regional Secretary for the South West Nigel Costley said: ‘If you work hard, you shouldn’t have to worry about making ends meet. Yet despite rising employment, lots of working families in the South West are still living in poverty.’