North-South cut up emerges in grim report into alternatives for younger individuals
Young people in former industrial areas in the North have some of the worst opportunities to get on in life, a grim report has found.
The Social Mobility Commission’s state of the nation report highlighted stark regional divides, which experts said “scar our society”. Its analysis of 203 local authorities found the best places for youngsters to get high qualifications and professional well-paid jobs remain in London and the Home Counties.
The report said teenagers have fewer prospects in former mining, industrial and ship-building areas in the North East and North West, including Barnsley, Hull, North East Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Rochdale, Sunderland and Wakefield.
But young people in coastal and rural areas such as Cornwall, Isles of Scilly, and Durham County Council are also more likely to end up in working class jobs than young people from the same background in other parts of the country. It said many of the areas tend to have higher levels of child poverty while good transport – with links to big cities – also appears to be key to better social mobility.
Lee Elliot Major, social mobility professor at the University of Exeter, said the divide is “much more than a simple north-south split: it is about London and the South East versus the rest”.
He added: “These results highlight the stark regional and local divides that scar our society. While the Government is rightly setting ambitious national targets for its opportunity mission, we should also seek to reduce disparities in poverty and life chances across the country.”
Chairman of the Commission, Alun Francis, said young people stuck in “left-behind places” need urgent help. “There is no one-size-fits-all approach to improving opportunities, as each place has its own particular challenges,” he added.
“A common theme is economic opportunity and the quality of jobs across the country, but there are also deeply entrenched issues around educational underperformance among families and communities which are more acute in some places than others.”
Nick Harrison, Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust, said: “The Social Mobility Commission’s findings highlight stark regional disparities on a range of measures related to opportunity and social mobility.
“These are consistent with patterns of regional prosperity, and with child poverty increasing this is likely to worsen in the coming years without action. Policy attention is needed to improve education and job opportunities and to tackle child poverty, particularly in the most deprived areas of the country. Ensuring all young people can fulfil their potential regardless of where they grow up is not just about fairness, it is also vital for the UK’s future prosperity and productivity.”
