THERE have been a few accusations of political bias made against The Northern Echo since the General Election.

The suggestion from Tory and Lib Dem politicians – and it’s important to keep it in perspective because there’s been a trickle rather than an avalanche of complaints – is that we’ve been too negative about the coalition Government.

Unlike national newspapers, The Northern Echo doesn’t have a political axe to grind. We are, however, free to express our own opinions and our view on the coalition has hardly been condemnatory.

We haven’t gone for front pages branding the Government as “heartless”

or anything like that.

What we have done is express the view that while public service cuts are necessary to tackle the deficit, there is a danger in going too far too quickly.

Our concerns are about the social consequences of the pace and depth of the cuts on the most vulnerable in society, and the possibility of sparking a doubledip recession.

Yesterday’s report by the widely respected economic think tank, the Institute of Fiscal Studies, supports those concerns in its conclusion that the Government’s first Budget has hit the poorest families hardest.

The report – the most comprehensive independent analysis of the Budget to date – says the poorest ten per cent will be hit hardest by measures described as “regressive”. It’s a conclusion that is especially challenging for the Lib Dems whose leader Nick Clegg vowed to ensure that cuts were fair, with the richest hit hardest.

The Northern Echo will, therefore, continue to risk claims of bias by expressing concerns about the fairness of the cuts and highlighting the impact on those at the sharp end of society. We expect politicians who made pledges about fairness to do the same.