People living in one of the region’s most deprived neighbourhoods fear the area has been “left behind”, an MP has warned. South Stanley is among the most disadvantaged areas in the country, according to government research.
North Durham MP Luke Akehurst told of residents feeling “impatient for change” following this year’s county council election, after repeatedly calling for economic regeneration, good-quality jobs and new local infrastructure.
“Given the level of deprivation in neighbourhoods such as South Stanley, which is ranked 41st most in need out of 34,000 super output areas in the Government’s growth mission, it is unsurprising that my constituents tell me that they feel left behind and that our area is not getting the targeted investment it needs,” he said.
The Labour MP praised the government’s recent investment in transport infrastructure across the region but warned it would struggle to benefit isolated and deprived communities located away from major cities and town centres.
“Too often, big infrastructure projects benefit the core cities, not isolated towns and villages like those that make up North Durham,” he added.
During a House of Commons debate, a group of MPs argued that areas with the most concentrated problems in economic activity, health, educational achievement and crime should be prioritised.
Rising anti-social behaviour and a lack of secure jobs and opportunities for children and young people were also cited as signs that many neighbourhoods have been “left behind and left to decline”.
The North Durham MP added: “We need investment in social infrastructure, such as parks, leisure centres and community centres, that will deliver rapid economic improvements and change how communities look and feel. Communities need to be at the heart of the decisions, cutting through the bureaucracy and red tape, and they must decide themselves what will make a real difference in their areas.
“It is economically, fiscally and morally right to target those neighbourhoods, and it would be a clear demonstration of this Labour Government’s social democratic values.”
