A report out today puts Greater Manchester at the heart of the North’s regeneration story
The study by the Brabners, the independent law firm in the North of England using government data, ranks every northern local authority on changes in employment, incomes, productivity, housing affordability, health, crime and civic engagement since 2000.
It shows that Greater Manchester is one of the most improved places to work in the North, with Manchester itself ranking 5th for employment growth, 3rd for productivity and 1st for increases in disposable income.
However the data also highlights a more complicated picture at a local level.
While Manchester, Trafford and Salford perform strongly on economic measures and civic engagement, neighbouring boroughs including Bolton, Bury and Rochdale sit among the least improved overall, and child poverty has risen fastest in some of the areas experiencing the strongest growth.
The two most improved local authorities overall are South Ribble and West Lancashire. Each has seen consistently high improvement across a number of measures, including productivity, higher incomes and outcomes for child obesity and child poverty.
Overall, there are positive signs of economic progress in the North, with 75% of local authorities experiencing higher employment and two thirds (65%) an increase in the number of businesses.
All five local authorities that stand out for economic progress – appearing among the most improved in at least four of the economic metrics (employment, education, productivity, economic activity, income and child poverty) measured by the report – are in Lancashire or Greater Manchester.
Much of the progress is correlated with successful regeneration and investment and Manchester’s economic success is especially significant, scoring 5th for increases in employment, 3rd for productivity and first for increases in disposable income across the whole of the North.
More jobs and higher income levels have not resulted in better health outcomes since the turn of the century.
Women’s healthy life expectancy has increased in only four local authorities and men’s healthy life expectancy in only five. Only Manchester, Warrington and Calderdale saw healthy life expectancy go up for both men and women since 2011.
Child obesity has also increased in 95% of local authorities in the North. This worrying health picture is not unique to the North of England and is consistent across the UK, although child obesity is up more in all northern regions than the average in England.
The story is more positive when it comes to crime, civic engagement and the rate of first-time buyers:
1 in 4 local authorities in the North have seen the number of first-time buyers more than double. The local authority with the highest increase in first-time buyers is Kingston-upon Hull.
Lancashire and Greater Manchester again feature prominently with the local authorities of Knowsley, Preston, Hyndburn and Salford completing the top five.
Local crime, particularly theft and non-sexual violence, has seen a dramatic reduction across most of the North of England.
Crime is down by 38% across the North as a whole and in Humberside and North Yorkshire. Lincolnshire police recorded that crime has more than halved.
There is a clear link between civic leadership and progress. Three of the most improved places overall (Stockport, Trafford, Manchester) are in the top 10 for local election turnout increases. Conversely, areas with lower performing economies (e.g. North East Lincolnshire) had the greatest decrease in turnout.
Iain Gamble, Partner and Real Estate Practice Group Head at Brabners, explains:
“This data suggests that investment has been successful in improving life for many people in the North, from booming employment in the North East to strong productivity in Lancashire. When you look at the areas that are doing best, you don’t have to look far to find a corresponding regeneration initiative, and in many areas, improving job prospects and incomes have tracked alongside better health and higher turnouts in local elections.
However, the story is not uniformly positive and offers some clear lessons for future projects. Rising child poverty in places with improving economic data is a sure sign that not all local people are benefiting. Future regeneration efforts must ensure that economic growth translates into tangible improvements for all residents, particularly the most vulnerable families. This requires a new era of greater collaboration defined by pace — driving projects with discipline and rigour; and purpose — the collective will to drive change.”
