Everyone agrees that the economic disparities between north and south need to be tackled. It is unacceptable that a child born in one part of Britain has hugely different life chances to one born a few hundred miles away. The chancellor, George Osborne, was careful to state that the recent emergency Budget would “promote job creation in all parts of the country.” The government is rightly sceptical of the record of public-sector regeneration schemes, but goes further in seeing the size of the public sector as a barrier to regeneration.

The state is certainly a heavyweight employer in some places. More than 40 per cent of workers in Middlesbrough, in the northeast, have jobs in public administration, education and housing—far above the national average of 27 per cent and far, far above the 12 per cent in places such as Crawley, in the southeast. The private sector fails to thrive in Middlesbrough, the argument runs, because the public sector—with its generous national salary scales, cushy pensions and long holidays—snaffles up all the staff.

It is great to see that you are enjoying the Prospect website.

You have now reached your allowance of 3 free articles in the last 30 days.
Don’t worry—to get another 7 articles absolutely free, just enter your email address in the box below.

You are in complete control of which 7 articles you choose to read. Register now to enjoy more of the finest writing on politics, economics, literature, the arts, philosophy and science.

When you register, we’ll also send you our free e-book—The past in perspective—which considers how reflecting on the past can give great insight into the present AND we’ll send you our free weekly newsletter. (If you prefer not to receive the newsletter you can unsubscribe at any time).

Email

Prospect takes your privacy seriously. We promise never to rent or sell your e-mail address to any third party.
You can unsubscribe from the Prospect e-mail newsletter at any time.