WEST Somerset is one of the poorest regions in the country, according to figures released from two recent studies.

A set of figures released by the Office for National Statistics found that four in 10 West Somerset workers are earning under the living wage, the highest percentage in England.

Meanwhile in the Department for Communities and Local Government report of deprivation in England, West Somerset was ranked as the 56th most deprived local authority, and only second to Torbay across the whole of the south west.

MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset Ian Liddell-Grainger said: “The figure about the local authority being deprived comes as no surprise, the amount of money we get from central government is terribly low and it has been an ongoing battle to try and get a fairer deal so that we get the same amount of money pro rata as urban areas.

“We are a tourist area so a lot of employment is seasonal. It is very difficult to set up business here, you just have to look at Watchet Paper Mill to see the difficulties.

“Sometimes I think the area gets overlooked for funding because the perception is we live in a beautiful area.

“We have the beautiful Exmoor national park, we have the Quantocks and we have the Somerset Levels, but these things do make it very difficult for development and infrastructure.”

Chrissie Payne, who runs West Somerset Food Cupboard, said the figures did not surprise her.

“We have been watching the number of food parcels we send out day on day, and demand is likely to increase in the winter months,” Mrs Payne said.

“People often see this as lovely rural holiday area, but there is so much hidden poverty here.”

Chrissie explained that the Food Cupboard had sent out 1,604 parcels in 2014, but they have already matched that this year and Chrissie believes they will have sent out 2,000 come the end of the year.

She believes that more people need to be paid a living wage and public transport needs to be improved.

“A lot of people are working on temporary or zero hour contracts or in seasonal jobs, and there are no redundancy packages for this type of work.

“A lot of people flit from one job to the next as there is very little in the way of permanent work. 
"These are not things that require a quick fix but need long term solutions.”

The deprivation figures were measured in terms of income, employment, education and training, crime, barriers to housing and services and the environment.

The ONS statistics revealed that 41.9 per cent of West Somerset workers earn less than £7.65 an hour, the voluntary living wage for people living outside London which is calculated to cover the basic cost of living.

A spokesman for the West Somerset Council said: “The English Indices of deprivation are compiled taking into account the seven indicators as outlined, and as a rural area, with an ageing population, lacking a major urban centre, having few large employers the area will score far lower than many others due in most part to the inability to access the types and range of services that less rural areas are able to.

“Other issues that affect our economy include the high cost of fuel, high house prices (especially within Exmoor National Park), generally low incomes and high numbers of self-employed.

“The District also lacks access to higher education opportunities, which means that those wanting to study for higher level skills have to pursue this out of District.

“However, it is worth noting that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently revealed in a survey that West Somerset is officially the fourth happiest place in Britain – and came top as a place where people feel worthwhile. That speaks volumes for the way residents feel about where they live.”