However, these statistics hide a dark truth, whilst the median salary for some has increased, this has not helped many, who are stuck on sub-optimal salaries doing “menial” work that pays considerably less than the “average” salary. Union Learn have a great chart on their site that lists 350 job roles with thier avarage salary. It would be too cumbersome to list all 350 here, but what we have recreated is the top 12 Job roles and the bottom 12 job roles for comparison. This Data is from 2020, so we have used the 2020 average salary scale for this comparison to keep things fair.

When you take the average salary in the UK, you can see clearly that those roles at the top of the chart actually distort our view of the “average” salary – on their chart the averaged salary was £35, 978, slightly above the national average posted by the ONS which stood at £31,470. The median salary on the Union Learn list is £31,720, more in line with thr average salary quoted by the Government.

Using this list, 60.5% of job roles earn below the avarage salary on the list, with 49.7% earning less than the median salary on the list. Then we have the scourge we all now at inflation.

So whilst some salaries have risen, even those rises have been overshadowed by the inflastion figures since the pandemic. OBI (Office for Budget Responsibility) projections have inflation for this year averaging 2.6% with a slight rise in 2025 followed by a very slow decline to 2029 to 2%. The average Inflation rate was 3.51% between 2000 and 2023, with the median being 3.10%. Since 2000, the median increase is 111% between 2000 and 2024, whilst the average salary has risen some 110.25%  – 0.75% BELOW the inflation rate– so people in Britain are proportionatly worse of now that 24 years ago. That is a failure of repeated Governance and a failure that has a very real impact on people’s lives.

We will change this cycle –

When wages fail to keep pace with inflation, it directly impacts the quality of life for the majority of people, particularly those on lower or middle incomes. Essential goods and services become less affordable, savings diminish in value, and financial stress increases, particularly for families already struggling to make ends meet.

This issue is often a result of systemic problems, such as poor fiscal policy, underinvestment in key sectors, and a failure to address wage stagnation. Governments have tools—such as minimum wage adjustments, tax relief, and targeted support—to ensure salaries keep pace with or exceed inflation. When these tools aren’t used effectively, it leads to outcomes that have a direct impact on the money in people’s pockets.

It underscores the need for a stronger focus on equitable economic growth, where wage growth is a central priority, ensuring workers share fairly in the benefits of a growing economy.

We do not believe tax relief is not the best use of public money, thus we would make changes to the UK financial structure, and introduce laws that mean even the lowest paid workers are able to afford a decent home, not struggle to buy food and essentials, keep their homes warm and perhaps, afford a reasonable holiday without going into debt.

Regional disparities in wages and living costs often create a misleading narrative about affordability across the UK. While housing costs tend to dominate conversations about regional cost differences, other essential expenses such as food, utilities, and transportation often vary little, leaving many people in lower-wage areas disproportionately affected. Let’s break this down further:

Key Points of Disparity

1. Housing Costs:
   • Housing costs are higher in areas like London and the South East, but they are increasing rapidly in regions like the Midlands and the North. The gap between regions is narrowing, especially with remote working allowing people to move to less expensive areas.
   • Private rents and house prices in many smaller cities and rural areas have risen disproportionately, meaning those earning lower regional wages face growing financial strain.
2. Food and Utilities:
   • Prices for groceries, energy, and water services are generally uniform across the country. This means that someone earning less in, say, the North East pays the same for a loaf of bread or electricity as someone in London, where wages tend to be higher.
   • Utility bills, especially energy, often impact lower-wage earners more since a higher proportion of their income is spent on heating, lighting, and water.
3. Transportation:
   • Rural and semi-urban areas often have higher transportation costs due to longer distances and reduced public transport options. Fuel prices in rural areas are frequently higher than in urban centers, adding to the financial burden.
   • Car ownership is often a necessity in less urbanised regions, while city dwellers may benefit from public transport networks.
4. Disparities in Regional Wages:
   • Jobs in lower-paying regions often fail to meet the actual cost of living, despite claims of “lower living costs.” The regional wage gap exacerbates inequality, especially in areas with rising rents and insufficient local infrastructure.

A More Uniform Approach to the Living Wage

A uniform national living wage that reflects essential costs across the UK—instead of adjusting for perceived regional differences—might be more equitable. This approach would:

• Recognise that basic living costs (e.g., food, utilities, childcare) are broadly consistent nationwide.
• Help lift people in lower-wage regions to a standard of living comparable to higher-wage areas.
• Compensate for hidden costs, such as transport or fewer job opportunities, in less urban areas.

What Would Be Fair?

• A minimum of £16–£17 per hour nationwide seems like a realistic figure to ensure a reasonable standard of living across most regions.
• For high-cost areas like London, an additional allowance or region-specific adjustment may still be needed, however, action to tackle the unfair rising costs of the capital should also be looked at so that the costs slowly become similar around the nations regions.
• The Government should also look at measures to control house prices and the rental market. The rises in house prices are outstripping mortgagees ability to afford a decent home, whilst their monthly costs vary with variable rate mortgages.
• We will investigate changing then law to make all mortgages fixed rate over the life of the mortgage, or at least so they are fixed in a given year and cannot rise more than the inflation rate projected by the OBI for the following 12 months. Stability is key to helping people manage their finances better.

A National Perspective on Living Costs

Instead of focusing narrowly on housing as the primary driver of cost differences, policy makers should:

• Prioritise energy and transport cost regulation, especially in rural areas.
• Invest in affordable housing across all regions, not just urban centers.
• Implement a fair living wage floor that reflects the realities of a modern, interconnected economy, recognising that disparities in wages don’t always align with differences in costs.

Addressing these systemic issues would go a long way toward reducing regional inequality and ensuring that everyone, regardless of where they live, can meet the true cost of living.