North/South economic divide in risk of widening
Northern regions risk being left further behind as the drivers of economic growth are concentrated in the South, according to new analysis by IPPR North (Institute for Public Policy Research North)
Northern regions risk being left further behind as the drivers of economic growth are concentrated in the South, according to new analysis by IPPR North (Institute for Public Policy Research North).
The analysis coincides with the launch of the Northern Economic Futures Commission, which brings together key figures from the business world across the North of England to set out a 10-year strategy for economic growth.
In 2010, the percentage of the working age population with no qualifications was 11.1% in England compared with:
- 13% in the North-East
- 12.1% in the North-West
- 12.8% in Yorkshire and Humber
These regions also have the lowest business start-ups of the English regions.
Ed Cox, director of IPPR North and deputy chair of the commission, says: “Making sure that the UK economy is firing on all cylinders is vital for the whole country, so it is in the interests of everyone to make sure the North of England prospers. In the past, the North has looked to London to solve its economic problems but this Commission is designed to allow the North to forge its own economic future.”
