North-South divide in the United Kingdom

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In the United Kingdom the term North-South divide refers to an economic and cultural divide between the relatively wealthy South East of England and the less affluent industrial areas of Scotland, Wales and Northern England.

Contents 1 The Border 2 Existence 3 Explanation 4 Cultural dimensions 5 Closing the Gap 6 North-South divide in Wales 7 See also 8 Footnotes

[edit] The Border

Several different theories exist as to where the border lies. A popular notional boundary is a line between the mouth of The Wash and the Bristol Channel, known as the Severn-Wash divide^[1] , this boundary fits with economic thought of the 20th century which divided Britain into "inner" and "outer" regions according to economic prosperity. Although sometimes the North is referred to as anywhere north of the Watford Gap (a term particularly used by people from London and surrounding areas)^[2], one way of placing the border between North and South would be to approximate it to the River Trent, making locations such as Stoke-on-Trent and Nottingham mark the geographical divide between North and South (although causing a problem for the classification of these locations).^{[citation needed]}

A definite problem in defining the boundary between the North and South is the tendency of those living in the far South to include too much of the country in their definition of the North, while those from the far North invariably include too much of the country in their definition of the South. In particular there is much confusion over the status of central parts of England, for example a county such as Derbyshire may be considered Northern by a Londoner, while someone from Newcastle Upon Tyne may consider it Southern.

Thus people residing in central England, ie, the area between the Worcester-Banbury-Northampton latitute in the south Midlands and the Stoke-Derby-Nottingham latitude in the north Midlands, would consider themselves neither 'Northerners' or 'Southerners', but Midlanders.

The North/south divide can also be defined in terms of social rather than geographical, with the Industrialised working class regions (including the Black Country and the South Wales Valleys) as the North, while London, the Home Counties and other regions associated with the wealthy ruling class (plus the West Country) as South.

Whatever the divider, the following areas are always considered 'South':

• Greater London
• South East England
• much of East Anglia
• The M4 Corridor

Whilst the following are always considered part of the North :

• Scotland
• Northern Ireland
• Northern England
• North Wales (in particular Flintshire and Denbighshire)

[edit] Existence

The existence of the north-south divide is often contested. Some sources claim that not only does it exist, but that it is expanding. For example, a 'Cambridge Econometrics' report of March 2006 found that economic growth above the UK average was occurring only in the South and South East of England, whilst Scotland and North East England showed the slowest growth.^[3]

A similar report in 2001 found that North East England, North West England, Wales and Scotland had poorer health levels than South and South East England.^[4] The same data has been interpreted otherwise to indicate only a very small difference.^[5]

Indeed, results are highly dependent on the categories chosen for evaluation. As a generalisation, the following tend to indicate that there is some sort of north-south divide:

• Health conditions, which are generally seen as being worse in the north.^{[6] [7]}
• House prices, which are higher in the south, particularly the south-east.^[8]
• Earnings, which are higher in the south and east.^[9]
• Government expenditure, which is sometimes argued to favour the north,^[10] and sometimes the south.^[2]
• Political influence.^[11]

However, when factors such as the cost of living^[1] or urban poverty are included,^[12][13] the divisions are sometimes less clear. Furthermore, some areas of the north - such as the county of Cheshire, the town of Harrogate or the city of Aberdeen - show high levels of prosperity, whilst areas such as the Isle of Thanet in Kent have struggled with the same industrial decline as the north.

This has lead some commentators to suggest that other divisions are more important, such as class^[14] or ethnicity might be more important.^[15]

[edit] Explanation

Industrial decline in a post-Fordist world is most usually given as an explanation for the North-South divide,^[16] as raw materials such as coal and iron ore could be found in these areas.^[17] This led to comparatively high wealth; Shaw, near Oldham, reportedly had the highest concentration of millionaires in the country at the time.^[18] It also led to over reliance on a few key industries and, as heavy industry began to leave the UK for developing countries under the 'New international division of Labour' ^[19], these areas declined rapidly. Events like the UK miners' strike (1984-1985) polarised public opinion and led to an increase in the divide. Although the three pits in Kent were solidly behind the strike, their remoteness from the other coalfields meant that it was mostly spared from violent clashes. During the dispute, it was decided that local police would be too sympathetic to the miners and policemen from southern counties other than Kent were drafted in to police the dispute, often being flown in by private aeroplanes. Accusations from the miners that the police were heavy handed or showed a demeaning attitude towards the North spread to create an atmosphere of resentment.

[edit] Cultural dimensions

There is also a perceived cultural divide between the north and the south. The It's Grim Up North BBC television series and subsequent book attempted to tease out some of these divisions.^[20] Those in the north complained of having fewer cultural opportunities, such as theatre and museums; the book also provided a stereotypical view of southern life as faceless and bland.^[20]

Alcohol and fast food consumption are higher in the North, with the UK's 14 'fattest cities' to the north or west of the dividing lines mentioned above.^[21]

Moreover, in terms of English identity, the North of England was the home territory of the Angles, whilst the South and South East was Saxon territory, which could also account, culturally, for differences in both parts of England.

Historically, there has been much interaction in the North of England with the Celtic nations, as is the case in the South West of England. There has also been a much stronger historical relationship with Scandinavia in the North of England than in the South or South East of England, where a stronger connection with Germania has been the norm.

Many Midlands towns and cities appear, at least historically, to have more in common with their northern counterparts than with those in the south. This is mainly because they have a history of concentrated industrialisation and post-industrial economic depression (especially in Birmingham, Coventry and Stoke-on-Trent), plus the dry ironic humour which is borne out of this, rather than the nonindustrialised 'service centre' and 'county' towns and cities of southern England, which are perceived to be singularly dominated by London (where the purpose of those towns was essentially to service the capital). The 2004 film Once Upon A Time In The Midlands, starring Ricky Tomlinson, was made very-much in the character of straight-talking and dry humoured northern comedies.

[edit] Closing the Gap

Northern post-industrial cities are now beginning to see a renaissance, particular examples are Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle upon Tyne, and Sheffield. A major new masterplan by British architect Will Alsop has been adopted for the regeneration of Barnsley. Some of Britain’s service industries and banks are relocating to northern cities like Leeds. It should also be noted that poverty is widespread in Southern England due to the high cost of housing yet rising unemployment and low-waged contingent jobs. These examples can be found in such places as Hastings, Eastbourne, Dover and the East End of London.

[edit] North-South divide in Wales

Wales is also sometimes talked about as having a North-South divide. The more urbanised south, containing cities such as Cardiff, Newport and Swansea is considered as the richer area, whereas the more mountainous North is seen as poorer.

The far south east is a continuation of the M4 corridor and contributes most to the economy in Wales, with a high concentration of high-tech industries. This area usually includes the cities of Cardiff and Newport, as well as the more rural areas of Monmouthshire, Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend. It has excellent transport links with London and southern England. The area only covers a small percentage of the total area of Wales but is quite densely populated. Swansea and Neath Port Talbot are also sometimes considered to be part of this more prosperous area along the M4 corridor, but the valleys are usually not because they continue to suffer from some of the highest rates of poverty in the UK.

The North of Wales consists of: Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey. There is an east west divide in the North where the West is much more culturally Welsh, with a high percentage of Welsh speakers, but due to its geography, there is little employment, making the area poor in comparison to the East. Wrexham and Flintshire together have the same GDP as Cardiff, however, this is based on its industrial and manufacturing base. However, they have very little cultural strength in comparison to the southern areas. Historical reasons for this can be seen through the location of Offa's Dyke. Both Flintshire and parts of Wrexham are on the English side. This area is much less mountainous, and leads to the Cheshire plains.

The large, central areas of Wales (Powys and Ceredigion) are ambiguous in terms of being North or South. These areas a fairly prosperous but sparsely populated so many people living here travel into the surrounding areas for employment. Equally, there would be ambiguity over Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. While very much in the southern half of the country, they are less urbanised than elsewhere in the south.

Furthermore, there is also a small-scale north-south divide in Pembrokeshire; the south, known as 'Little England beyond Wales', is more Anglicised and wealthy than the rest of the county, creating a microcosm of the overall Welsh division.

The 1984-5 miners' strike also divided Wales. South Wales was strongly behind the strike whilst only around a third of the workforce in North Wales ever went on strike. South Wales miners were often displeased with the lack of solidarity in North Wales.

[edit] See also

• North-South divide

[edit] Footnotes