Regional Business Information for Yorkshire
Northern cities a 'lost cause' says report
13th August 2008
By Kathryn Moore - Business Correspondent
Bradford City Hall
CITIES across Northern England - including Leeds, Bradford and Hull - are "beyond revival" and residents should consider moving south, an independent think tank has suggested today.
The controversial report by Policy Exchange said the regeneration of many towns and cities in the north was doomed to fail and residents should consider relocation as a way to avoid becoming "trapped" in poorer areas.
Liverpool, Sunderland and Newcastle were also named in the report which suggests residents should move to London, Cambridge ......for the full story register now for free or login below...
Have Your Say
Has this chap been to the Isle of Dogs, Blackbird Leys or a few other areas of the south suffering from poverty "beyond revival"? Oxford has suffered from poverty and has one of the worst heroin addiction rates in Europe as a result. Has he not heard about Joseph Chamberlain, the founding father of inner city regeneration in Birmingham. Does he travel to places like High Wycombe and does he not notice the loss of evermore rural land to housing and the impracticality of transport in the area inside and just out of the M25? There are areas of northern England and Scotland which offer cheap(er) rents, available labour, higher living standards and better value for money when it comes to property. Why would anyone lose these advantages to move their business and their lives to move to the South East.
Thomas Atcheson
Just barking. As in, agree with the comments above, not planning on moving to Barking. Can't believe this has really been thought through on any level, from the fabulous things on offer up here to the already flagging infrastructure down there. Can't see the residents of Oxford or Cambridge being thrilled when 500,000+ people rock up in a fleet of Pickfords vans...
David Warren
I think it's a great idea! Fewer people, fewer cars and the ability to get from A to B without the problems generated by the incompetent half-wits who purport to run transport policy in this increasingly gridlocked city...
Paul Whitaker
With regards to the credit crunch, it has become apparent that the North of England has the ability to ride such an economic crisis a lot better than the South. Survival of the fittest comes to mind. I would have thought if anything, the report would have recommended relocating to the North for better job security and a nicer living environment.
Gurdeep Kaur
My initial reaction was to laugh; I then reflected on whether or not there are any decison makers out there who might actually factor this tripe into their thinking. I hope that Yorkshire Forward, Marketing Leeds, Leeds City Council and their peers in other cities will ensure that a fulsome rebutal is produced.
Richard Marshall
I fully expect the Conservative Party to distance themselves from this peace of biased fiction - if not they will score an own goal by alienating potential floating voters in the North and kill of the chances of both current and potential local council and MP candidates! Tim Leunig really should (and I suspect does) know better and this may just prove useful in starting a serious debate about local regeneration. More and more people are leaving London and the South East to either relocate back home to the North or uproot to relocate here to take advantage of the better quality of life on offer. Tim Leunig is also aware that US Investment Banks are considering opening up in the North (Leeds/Manchester) and have selected these cities specifically on demographics. The North was once the engine room of the world and has a fantastic heritage which should be protected and I for one welcome the start of a proper debate on how best to achieve this. I suspect that the good people of London, Oxford and Cambridge will not welcome the findings of this paper either - many of them are relocating to avoid the different problems in those areas. People in the UK are mobile and are relocating for work more and more but surely we should not encourage mass uprooting of communities to move problems into other areas. Further erosion of local communities will certainly do nothing to help alleviate the social problems in our society - most of which are more prevalent in the South East! Tim Leunig - thanks for starting the debate! You work at a fine institution which is not called The London School of Self Preservation!
Roddy Morrison
Bonkers beyond believe! Has any one of the report's authors walked around Leeds' city centre and its thriving commercial districts in the last decade? Perhaps their think tank had a sealed lid to avoid contact with the real world!
Douglas Adamson
It makes a great headline but I would be ashamed to have my name to this report - the author was right - barmy!
Deborah Hastie
The scary thing about this London centric nonsense is that the Policy Exchange is a think(?) tank associated with the Tories. Even if a tiny bit of this thinking influences Tory policy we should be worried. There are lots of problems with regeneration policy and always will be whilst the bulk of money for major infrastructure projects goes to London and the S East. The Northern Way was meant to help bridge the north south divide but is unlikely to make any impact with so litte funding.
ANDREW McKEON
I agree with all of the above!! I've never heard such southern claptrap!!!!
Alison Widdup
I wonder if this 'think-tank' has ever ventured North of Watford? Or, for that matter, into some of the more 'deprived' areas of London and other Southern cities? Leeds is the fastest growing city in the UK for migrating young professionals, Liverpool is the Capital of Culture for a reason, Manchester and Newcastle are centres of Law and Finance, and Sunderland, my home city, has been transformed over the last ten years. I find this narrow minded article quite bizarre to be honest - I must assume that it's authors were out to grab a headline or two.
Anna Whitehouse
Its utter tosh ! The report appears to be saying 'lets encouarge people to move south by subsidising housing ,thereby making land in the north even cheaper ...so industry sets up there..... and then everyone can go rushing back north again to live'. Thank goodness companies like M&S, who will be bringing many new jobs to Bradford soon, have disregraded this twaddle .
malcolm cowing
Not quite sure how London will support a population of 50 million
Charles Britten
Having lived and worked in London myself for a period I can honestly say to dismiss the North of England in such a way shows the lack of knowledge and respect that many government bodies have of anyway outside a 50 mile radius of London. Is it not true that Leeds is enjoying the highest rates of growth over any other UK city? Absurd!!!
Alan Smith
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I read this report this morning as I slipped on my clogs and fed the whippet. What a load of nonsense !
Mike Firth