We don’t get a fair chance in North, say 75pc

Anger that people have to ‘move out to move up’

THREE-QUARTERS OF people in Yorkshire think there are massive differences in the opportunities on offer for the nation’s population depending on where they live, according to a new report that paints a stark picture of social mobility across the UK.

A study by the Social Mobility Commission found 81 per cent of people living in Yorkshire and Humber thought there was a large gap between the social classes. And less than half of people – 49 per cent – said the opportunities in Yorkshire were good.

It contrasts dramatically with the South-East, where 74 per cent of people felt there were good avenues to success in their location.

The research comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resounding General Election win, following a campaign in which he wooed northern voters not only with his pledge of getting Brexit done but also his promise to “level up” the UK’s regions through better infrastructure and faster broadband.

Constituencies in Yorkshire, such as Rother Valley, elected a Conservative MP for the first time in their history as a result.

The Tory MP for Morley and Outwood, Andrea Jenkyns, said she had already organised “periodical meetings” with fellow West Yorkshire Conservative MPs who want to “keep the pressure up” for the Government to deliver on social mobility.

She said: “Social mobility is a big passion of mine, having started working at a Greggs bakery at 16. It is a moment of big changes for our country and we have the opportunity to level up the differences with the South.”

But Alex Sobel, the Labour MP for Leeds North West, added: “There are real barriers for working-class people and those out of work to be able to access the opportunities they want for themselves and their children.”

And Leeds North East Labour MP Fabian Hamilton said: “The Government cannot continue to ignore the collective voice of so many people who – as this research shows – feel they are not being given the opportunities they need to have a better life.”

Dame Martina Milburn, the chairwoman of the Advisory Commission, said ministers must invest in the country’s regions to ensure young people did not have to “move out to move up”.

The commission’s Social Mobility Barometer report, in which YouGov surveyed almost 5,000 people, found 52 per cent of those interviewed felt the Government was not doing enough to help the least well-off.

Dame Martina, a former BBC Children In Need boss, said: “This poll is a call to action for this Government to do more to help social mobility. Politicians at national and local level must listen to it.

“Regions which have been marginalised for decades should get the investment they need to provide opportunities for young people, so they don’t have to move out to move up.”

PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson’s resounding election win last month followed a campaign in which he pledged not only to “get Brexit done” but to put the regions of this country on a level footing. He recognised in his speeches that some areas of the UK lag behind when it comes to economic productivity, infrastructure and educational outcomes, an injustice that must be addressed if he is to realise the ambition he set out to close the opportunity gap between rich and poor and to tackle regional disparity.

Today’s report from the Social Mobility Commission (SMC), revealing a stark gap in perceived opportunities in different regions, is yet another example of why decisive action is needed. It found less than half of those living in Yorkshire and the Humber felt there were good avenues to success in their area, compared to 78 per cent in London.

Equally dismaying is that where there are opportunities, in many cases local employers are struggling to recruit people with the right skills to take them. Indeed, a new report by The Prince’s Trust and Govia Thameslink Railway has warned of a looming skills crisis in this region, with two thirds of employers saying school leavers don’t have the necessary assets for work.

After his promise to “level up” the regions helped secure him seats across the North, voters will now be looking to Mr Johnson to lead the way in addressing such challenges. He must respond, in a pressing manner, to a call for the Government to do more to help social mobility. And he would do well to heed the words of employers, shaping an education system that emphasises not just grades but desirable digital and creative talent and so-called ‘soft skills’, vital for the workplace.

Young people must be able to access opportunities on their doorstep. As SMC chairwoman Dame Martina Milburn rightly says, they shouldn’t have to move out to move up.