All in it together? New figures show unequal growth across north/south divide
Seven of the 10 fastest growing Local Enterprise Partnerships were in the south
Figures released today have once again highlighted the uneven pace of the recovery across the UK.
Despite David Cameron’s ‘all in it together’ mantra, the south appears to be moving on from the financial crisis far more rapidly than the north, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Data showing the growth rate for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across England reveals that between 2008 and 2013, GVA per head (essentially average living standards), increased by 3.3 per cent in Oxford but just 0.3 per cent in Cheshire and Warrington. London and Dorset saw growth of 1.9 per cent, while Lancashire, Leeds and Humber all grew by only 0.8 per cent.
Seven out of the 10 fastest growing LEPs were in the south, and seven of the bottom ten were in the north. Discrepancies in the bottom 10 tend to be in rural areas, for example Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly had a low growth rate of 0.9 per cent.
The disproportionate impact of recession on the north and rural areas has been well documented. Data from the European Union has shown that west Wales, Cornwall, Durham and Tees Valley, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire are the poorest regions not only in the UK but in the whole of Northern Europe. Meanwhile Inner London was ranked as the richest region in Northern Europe.
Ruby Stockham is a Left Foot Forward staff writer. Follow her on Twitter
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