Mansfield named as one of the worst towns in Britain for low wages and high benefits

Put together by Centre for Cities - a think tank which measures economic performances - the town has the fourth lowest average pay and high levels of people using the welfare state.

It was found that Mansfield has average weekly wages of £414, well below Britain’s average of £504.

Hull topped the low-wages list with just £376.

Only Hull, Blackburn and Blackpool had lower average pay and high number of people in benefits. All but one area in the top-10 list were found in the north of the midlands.

Meanwhile, eight of the 10 towns or cities with the highest wages and lowest welfare spend were in the south, with the remaining two in Scotland.

The study was carried out in response to Chancellor George Osborne’s summer budget last year, when he said the Government’s focus was to provide a high-wage, low-welfare economy.

Alexandra Jones, chief executive of Centre for Cities, said: “It highlights the size of the challenge facing the Government and the importance of supporting and empowering UK cities in order to make that vision a reality.”

Centre for Cities suggests the Government should continue to increase investment in regional economies and bolster devolution deals by giving towns and cites more control over local tax revenue, skills, infrastructure and housing.

Mrs Jones added: “Cities also need more powers and incentives to boost jobs and wages.

“Giving places control over skills and welfare budgets, and allowing them to keep any savings made by reducing the welfare bill, would incentive local leaders to invest in employment programmes that, if successful, would reduce people’s need for benefits payments.

“Further devolution would also enable local leaders to make spending decisions which better meet the needs of their communities and give them more incentives to drive economic growth.”