Comparing UK regions

Fact checks related to reporting of differences between UK nations and regions including council tax and leveling up funding

15 February 2022

Wales and Scotland are getting money to fund a council tax rebate

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said the countries would not be receiving more money as other areas of their provisional budgets are being revised …

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Wales and Scotland are getting money to fund a council tax rebate
16 September 2021

Scottish taxes don’t subsidise English spending

Public spending per person in Scotland is higher than across the UK as a whole, and higher than the revenue raised in Scotland.

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Scottish taxes don’t subsidise English spending
5 May 2021

Boris Johnson repeats misleading council tax comparison

The Prime Minister claimed that band D average council tax is higher in Labour areas than Conservative ones. But band D rates are not a fair comparison. Average tax in …

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Boris Johnson repeats misleading council tax comparison
4 March 2021

Details missing on levelling up funding

A list of priority areas due to receive early funding from the new “Levelling Up Fund” has been published. The rationale for why certain areas are prioritised has not.

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Details missing on levelling up funding
3 March 2021

Is Transport for the North’s budget being reduced by 40%?

Boris Johnson denied 40% reductions to the transport body’s budget during PMQs.

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Is Transport for the North’s budget being reduced by 40%?
11 September 2019

MP’s claim about rising unemployment in the West Midlands is wrong

Unemployment in the West Midlands has fallen slightly over the past year.

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MP’s claim about rising unemployment in the West Midlands is wrong
26 April 2019

Do Conservative councils charge £100 less tax than Labour or Liberal Democrat councils?

The Conservatives’ claim they charge less council tax than Labour is pretty meaningless. It’s based on a flawed method.

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Do Conservative councils charge £100 less tax than Labour or Liberal Democrat councils?
24 April 2019

Have the most deprived councils seen the biggest reductions in funding?

Nine of the ten most deprived council areas in this country have seen cuts that are almost three times the average of any other council.

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Have the most deprived councils seen the biggest reductions in funding?
1 November 2018

How have wages changed over the past decade?

The UK average weekly wage has fallen from around £540 to £520 in real terms over the past 10 years. Wages have levelled off since 2016.

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How have wages changed over the past decade?
26 September 2018

One measure of inequality makes the UK look far less equal than other countries—it’s not

The UK is about average among similar high-income countries when it comes to income inequality.

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One measure of inequality makes the UK look far less equal than other countries—it’s not

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