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UK’s North-South population drift accelerated during the 1980s
<<In 2015, for every 12 jobs created since 2004 in southern cities, only 1 was created in cities elsewhere<<
London’s global hub status means that the UK’s core-periphery and imbalance is likely to persist
the North | the South | |
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economic activity | heavily dependent on the public sector | private sector dominant |
incomes | lower incomes, e.g. in 2011 average household gross disposable income was £13,560 in the North East | higher incomes, e.g., in 2011 average household gross disposable income was £20,509 in London |
unemployment | higher unemployment | lower unemployment |
house prices | lower, average in North East: £154,000 | higher, average in South East: £305,000 |
education | less likely to achieve straight A grades at A-Level and less likely to study at Oxbridge | pupils are 40% more likely to achieve top GCSE grades |
life expectancy | lower, in Manchester 2013: 71.8 male, 77.8 female | higher, male in East Dorset 2013: 83.1, female in Kensington + Chelsea 2013: 84.7 |
Reasons for these differences:
- has good communication links to Europe + the rest of the UK
- has a large pool of skilled and educated workers → people migrate to the area from other parts of the UK/world as it provides better job opportunities
- is less affected by deindustrialisation because there were fewer heavy industries
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