Welfare system 'failing to meet minimum thresholds for a dignified standard of living'
Tories' national service plan will divert funding from poorest areas, Institute for Fiscal Studies warns

RISHI SUNAK claimed he was committed to levelling-up after it emerged the poorest areas of Britain may be deprived of high street and community safety funding to launch the Tories’ national service.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned today that areas with high deprivation have the most to lose under government plans to close its flagship UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and use £1.5 billion to support military and volunteering opportunities for 18-year-olds.
This could result in wealthier areas across southern England receiving “a substantial increase in net funding” as the UKSPF is worth up to 45 times less per person in areas such as Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales, Cornwall and the Tees Valley, the think tank said.
More from this author

By Berny Torre in Harrogate

By Berny Torre in Harrogate