The Times:
The regions can be our road to revival, but only if transport links are improved
12 August 2017
A rebalancing is long overdue. “Regional disparities are wider in the UK than other western European countries,” according to the London School of Economics’ Centre for Economic Performance. One reason why London’s productivity, and hence wealth, is so much greater than Britain’s other cities is the sophistication of the commuter network. Studies have shown that people tolerate roughly an hour’s travel but much more than that and the pool of labour available to an employer shrinks. With such a shallow pool of talent in sites as stranded as Cheshire science park, business would have to think twice about putting down roots.
Related publications
‘Brexit, Trade and the Economic Impacts on UK Cities’, Naomi Clayton and Henry Overman, Centre for Cities briefing, July 2017