More than 4,000 former North East mineworkers and pit staff across the UK will receive their first pension increase, with an average uplift of £100 a week, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.
Payments will be backdated to November 2024 when the increase to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme was implemented, meaning members will also receive an average one-off payment of £5,500.
Labour said it has now delivered justice for former colliery workers and staff.
“Across the whole of County Durham, from Spennymoor to Seaham, this money will have a big impact,” Chris McDonald, minister for Industry in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, said:
Last year, former miners and their families marched on Downing Street to call for a better deal. Easington MP Grahame Morris accused the former Conservative Government of neglecting deprived communities after some retired miners received just £10 a month.
The first 41% payment boost follows the Chancellor’s announcement at the Budget that the government has transferred the £2.3 billion reserve, previously held by the government since 1994, to members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.
However, the uplift comes after a new report revealed former industrial and mining communities across Britain are facing “entrenched disadvantage”
Left-behind communities in the North East, which were rapidly de-industrialised throughout the late 20th century, are still disadvantaged and facing decline, the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) warned.
The commission’s latest State Of The Nation report highlights stark differences in social mobility across the regions and nations of the UK.
Some people face fewer job opportunities, a lack of growth and a worse childhood as a result of where they live. The SMC also warned about the class disparities in the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.
There is a widening gap between those from privileged and working-class backgrounds who are getting into these jobs, the report stated. Women from less well-off backgrounds also continue to experience more difficulty getting higher-paid jobs than more privileged women.
Responding to the stark warnings, Labour said it is creating thousands of new jobs in the energy industry to support young people in the North East.
Mr McDonald, who is also Labour MP for Stockton North, said: “Opportunities for young people are something that really concerns the Government and me.
“With all of the work we have done over the last year on free school meals, breakfast clubs and youth centres, we are putting back in place all the mechanisms of support that were kicked away by the previous Conservative Government, which had a detrimental impact on social mobility in County Durham and the North East.
“We are putting those back in place to allow young people from our area to access the jobs that we are creating. I absolutely recognise how difficult and how much of a challenge it is, but it is absolutely making a difference to young people today.”
Bill Edgar
Reporter for the Local Democracy Reporter Service.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
