Good evening, It will hardly come as a surprise to many to hear the north has been hit harder than the rest of England during the coronavirus pandemic. Even factoring in deprivation, ages and ethnicity, a study has proven that the mortality rate is higher. 57.7 more people per 100,000 have lost their life. The scientist-led study, by the Northern Health Science Alliance, put a conservative estimate of the cost of increased mortality on the north at £6.86 billion - and the impact on the region’s mental health at £5 billion. Of course, in the year 2020 where we had more coronavirus stats thrown at us than we can shake a stick at - and all we want to know is when it ends - this is just more numbers. But it’s bad numbers - and why on earth are we in the north bearing the brunt? It seems likely it has simply exacerbated a problem that already existed yet had not been acted upon. Yes, the weather’s a bit colder and the wages are lower but why are so many children in poverty and why are many going to be cold this winter? It's not grim up north but these findings really are. When we come out of this crisis we need to fight for parity with the south. As always please consider subscribing we need local news to survive as well - as nobody wants to to rely on a London-only based news service who will never lobby for the north. We will always fight for you. Kind regards, Nicola Adam Deputy Editor | 
