Why Mancunians ‘are really southerners...’
TOP PROFESSOR SAYS MANCHESTER SHOULD BE LUMPED IN WITH THE SOUTH EAST AND HOME COUNTIES BECAUSE WE’RE SO INFLUENCED BY LONDON
MANCUNIANS are really southerners, claims a top professor.
Academic Mark Tewdwr-Jones had drawn a new map showing the northsouth divide and Manchester has been lumped in with London and the Home Counties.
Prof Tewdwr-Jones, a professor of town planning, says Manchester can’t be classed as northern because we’re influenced so much by the capital.
And the same goes for Leeds, he says.
“There are several ways you could define a northern region – but perhaps the most pertinent question is where does London end?” he asks.
“My map is a northern area defined as ‘not London,’ where London’s sphere of influence extends over most of the country – determined by two-hour commuting patterns which is becoming the norm.”
Professor Tewdwr-Jones, who is chair of town planning at Newcastle University and has advised ministers on planning, land use and housing issues, argues that policymakers should adopt a more ‘nuanced’ view of what constitutes the North.
He explained on BBC Radio 4 Today’s programme that his map – which included Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds as part of the south – was meant to be a ‘provocation’ that would spark debate about the northsouth divide.
But his version came under attack from many on social media.
One Twitter user wrote: “Or how about “where does the south start?” This map is utter rubbish.
“I’m from Leeds, absolutely nothing like London, nor dependent on its relationship to it.”