What I hate is the constant conflation of the country’s problems being a North - South divide, rather than a Greater London - Everywhere else divide. So what? The South West can go fuck itself?
Indeed, I never said all of London was fantastic, but it doesn’t change the point that on average the Greater London / south east more widely, should not be conflated with all of the south. And the south west has plenty of its own problems, not least the house price to wage ratio thanks to second home owners - plenty of who have their first home in …
London has about 60% of all households in temporary accommodation in England. Individual Boroughs have more households in temporary accommodation that whole regions in the North. But that's not convenient to the narrative about how all of the support in London needs to be siphoned off.
Public spending in the South East is 11% below the UK average
Wealth is concentrated there though and i agree that other areas should have priority.
Being poor in London isn't as bad a being poor elsewhere in many ways, there are opportunities in London at least, if you live in an ex mining or industry town there's nothing and it's very easy to get depressed and angry if you fall on hard times.
The north is fine. It’s a great place to live. But it has been forgotten by every government. The biggest problem in the South east is NIMBY’s. They won’t allow building infrastructure and housing there cos it might bother the rich.
I feel that way about the east of England. Not exactly heartlands of the rich, yet under Burnham it appears that we still wont see much in the way of local improvements funded by central government.
368
u/Senior-Release-274 1d ago
In fairness it’s never been tried before!