Chief Executive of The East Durham Trust, Grahame Easterlow, reacted to the budget with mixed emotions, claiming it evidences “inherent inequalities” in society.

The spring budget, revealed on March 15 by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, detailed a range of measures related to the cost of living including £100 million to local charities and extending the Energy Price Guarantee.

Speaking to The Northern Echo, Grahame told us that the budget, including a new investment area in Teesside doesn’t address the “left behind” communities in the North East.

Read more: East Durham Trust's plea to tackle inequality and deprivation

“This is decades of abandonment, this is managed decline of areas.

“They can put a £20 million pound building somewhere and say that’s regeneration, but we don’t need to regenerate the North East, we need to rebuild.”

The East Durham Trust works to support families through hardship and depravation, offering much needed support with food and energy bills to families.

Grahame told the Northern Echo that the charity has seen demand for their services soar because of the cost-of-living crisis.

“We’ve seen demand for some of our services, our crisis support services particularly relating to energy support see a 430% increase in five months.

“It’s great to see fuel and energy capped again. But our energy cap is only for three months, so what happens after that?”

Childcare was a large feature of Jeremy Hunt’s budget, as he announced provisions that would see parents gain thirty hours of free childcare for under-fives.  

School age children will also see the introduction of ‘wrap around’ childcare at the start and end of school days.

However, with the North East holding the highest rates of child poverty in the UK, Grahame said this will little help children in our region.

“I don’t see how provision of childcare is going to help child poverty.

“What would help? Better housing, better insulation in properties, cheaper energy, green energy in social housing, improved food systems so we’ve got cheaper local food.”

Last year, Grahame wrote to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove pleading to tackle inequality in County Durham communities, after it was revealed it had the highest number of ‘left behind neighbourhoods’, with 16.

Read more: Spring Budget 2023: Jeremy Hunt extends energy bill support

But over a year later, after the spring budget, Grahame admitted that new measures are not ‘levelling up’ the North East.

“If we really want to help child poverty, then we need to supply additional investment into child benefit, expanding free school meals and increasing universal credit.”