State of the North report highlights continued North-South divide despite levelling-up pledges

Think-tank IPPR has published its annual State of the North report which has revealed the North-South divide in prosperity has continued to widen, despite ‘levelling-up’ pledges by government.

The report, published on the IPPR website, has highlighted in particular the disparity between regions in three areas – jobs, net zero, and education – and set out its proposed areas of focus to deliver greater prosperity in the North.

Despite two years since the government first promises to level up, IPPR found regional divides had deepened and patterns of centralisation in economic and political spheres had intensified. On jobs, the report found London and the South East had achieved triple the levels of job creation compared to the North. IPPR also identified that the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged students at GCSE was higher than the England average.

The report also highlighted that despite the North of England producing over 50% of England’s renewable energy, this was failing to translate into a boom in green jobs and wider economic benefits of the transition to net zero.

In response to the publication, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham called on government to strengthen its policies on levelling up. He said:

“This report recognises that plans for levelling up the North still lack substance. It’s over two years since this Government was elected on a promise to rebalance the economy, but the North-South divide continues to widen.

“If the Government truly wants to rebalance the country, it should let go of some of its power and trust local and regional bodies to deliver for their communities. The Integrated Rail Plan was the latest example of the Government failing to deliver on its promises and ignoring local leaders.

“People in Greater Manchester deserve the same quality of infrastructure and services as people in the South. That’s why we continue to call on Minsters to back our plans for a London-style transport system with London-level fares.

“We want the North to become a more prosperous place for everyone living here, powering the transition net zero, with good employment available to all. We have the plans and ambitions to level up but we need Government to back us with the powers and funding to reach our full potential.”