For decades successive governments have been trying to find ways to close the ever-increasing economic gap between the north and south of England. Politicians from all parties agree that there is a problem and with today’s news from the Centre for Cities that the gap has widened dramatically over the last ten years, the north-south divide seems to be reaching a crisis point.
But is this really the case for Yorkshire’s big cities – are they really failing to keep pace with the rest of the UK? According to the annual Cities Outlook report from the Centre for Cities, the gap between the best and worst-performing cities in Britain has broadened since 2004 and that for every 12 net new jobs created over the last decade in the south of England, just one was created in cities in the rest of Britain.
According to Andrew Carter, the Acting Chief Executive at the Centre for Cities: “Five months out from the Election, this report makes the strongest economic case yet for the next Government to step up to the challenge of investing in the long-term success of our cities, and build a brighter future in which more people and places can contribute to, and share in, prosperity and growth.
“The stark picture the report paints of the enormous gap in the fortunes of UK cities over 10 years underlines why a ‘steady as she goes’ approach must be scrapped. We must move from thinking that bundling up new funding streams with bureaucratic delays, or simply tinkering around the edges with well-intentioned announcements, will be enough to reverse trends that are becoming increasingly entrenched.
“Cities need long-term funding and strategic planning, and policies that go to the heart of addressing the key drivers of economic growth – including transport, planning, skills and housing. This report throws down the gauntlet for all parties to turn their recent interest and pledges around cities and devolution into a clear plan to grow jobs and businesses, and improve quality of life throughout the United Kingdom.”
Although the 2015 Cities Outlook report shows that, on the whole, cities in Yorkshire have failed to keep up with the growth of other cities, this is not the case for Leeds and York. These two Yorkshire cities have both enjoyed significant growth in business stock: an increase of 17% for Leeds and 16% for York, however, this positive growth for Leeds and York has not been reflected in the jobs market. According to the 2015 Cities Outlook report, Leeds can boast a “strong public-private jobs ratio,” and that both Leeds and York had “demonstrated resilience.”
The 2015 Cities Outlook report appears to present a mixed-picture for Yorkshire and we’d be very interested to know what you think. I watched a business report on the BBC’s breakfast news programme this morning which covered the release of the 2015 Cities Outlook report. A number of people were interviewed from the so-called struggling regions and their outlook seemed to be very positive on the whole. What is your experience of running a business in Yorkshire? What do you think can be done to address the north-south divide?
