Local Lib Dem campaigner Neil Darby has welcomed the news that – thanks to the raising of the Income Tax threshold as a result of Liberal Democrat policies in the Coalition Government – income inequality is now lower than at any time during the 13 years of the last Labour Government (1997-2010).

It represents an annual cut in Income Tax of £700. Thanks to the Liberal Democrats, no-one pays any Tax on the first £10,000 of income. This has given 50,300 ordinary working people a tax cut in Preston alone and taken 6,630 from the city out of Income Tax altogether.

The welcome reduction in income inequality is confirmed in official figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Neil said: “The last Labour Government left Britain’s finances in a mess. The Coalition is having to sort this out with tough decisions, otherwise things would be much, much worse for people. However despite the difficulties, there are still positives to be seen in the effects of decisions taken by the Liberal Democrats in government such as the reduction of income inequality in the country.”