Coalfields 'will still need help following coronavirus crisis'

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has welcomed Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £750m funding package to support charities.

But it said prior to the Covid-19 outbreak it was already under significant pressure to support and improve the quality of life of people living within the UK’s former mining communities, which have a combined population of around 5.7 million.

Trust chief executive Gary Ellis said: “Many former mining areas remain in the top 30 per cent most deprived in the country and austerity has compounded the problems associated with high levels of deprivation. Over the years, it has been our communities that have borne the brunt of the UK’s economic and social challenges.

“The collapse of the coal mining industry has left a legacy of high unemployment, a lack of skills and poor health. However, it is clear that circumstances will worsen if this funding does not reach our communities and we can play an active role in ensuring it does.”

Head of operations for the trust Andy Lock, comments: “We are fearful that the progress we have achieved will be eradicated. We do not want a repeat of the austerity we experienced following the 2008 financial crisis.”