Economist - 'Abandon "failing" cities and towns across the north of England'

I_have_spoken

Ministers have been urged to abandon "failing" cities and towns across the north of England such as Hull, Hartlepool and Burnley and concentrate instead on helping the locals to get jobs elsewhere.

The Economist magazine said that despite years of Government money and "heroic" efforts the towns were decaying and it was time for a change in policy.

It urged ministers to forget about using tax breaks or spending money to encourage people to go the cities and towns as it diverted them from areas where "they would be more successful".

It's too grim up t'North...

MacMickster

So the suggestion is for more people to move into areas where housing is scarce?

CLAPTON

seems worth thinking about;
if one has tried the same things dozens of times and they don't work, then it worth trying something different.
The current situation is hardly helping the people there

Dribley

Turnbull will be well peed off by this,and so will his sister :rotfl:

Itismehonest

It's just a reversal of the Industrial Revolution when the rural dwellers moved to cities. An early version of (was it Tebbit's?) On Your Bike.
What comes around goes around, I guess.

michaels

I guess it is happening in the US with cities like Detroit and it might be cheaper than HS2 to just move everyone into the home counties....

SailorSam

So if we're going to encourage those that are able to work to move, what about the old and disabled who can't work. Are they left to rot.

Loughton_Monkey

How about fracking there? One assumes that some of the locals might earn a few shillings working for Cuadrilla, and if there was a bit of subsidence, it wouldn't do much financial damage.

thescouselander

This is really nothing new but it is not ministers who need to be told to abandon failing cities - it is the population of those cities who must take action. In fact, as mentioned in the article - anyone who has the wherewithal to move probably has done already. The abandonment of failing cities will eventually happen without intervention.

kabayiri

Lol

Let me understand this. You can be a shopworker or cleaner on NMW in a place like Hull, or in somewhere like London where your money will stretch even less.

This is the reality for many remember. 80% of all recent jobs created are under £8 per hour.

The recent housing benefit caps have encouraged councils in the South to seek housing further North in places like Stoke. This sort of policy is exactly the opposite of what is being suggested here.

globalds

could we give them to Scotland as part of an independence package ..?