Economic growth has not helped deprivation – report

DEPRIVED parts of Greater Manchester have not benefited from the city’s economic growth – and the gap between the poorest and other areas has widened.

That’s according to Sustainable Communities, a report published today as part of the Manchester Independent Economic Review.

It said there has been a “long term trend” towards greater polarisation within Greater Manchester even though there has been “substantial expenditure on area-based policy interventions”.

“While most wards experienced an absolute improvement in conditions in the period 1971 to 2001, there was a tendancy for the most deprived areas to improve the least,” said the report’s executive summary.

It said some communities – with twice the average worklessness rate – have been left behind and this was most evident in areas like Manchester with the strongest economic performance.

The Manchester Independent Economic Review (MIER) is funded by the Northwest Development Agency and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, and led by Sir Tom McKillop, former chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland.