Western Morning News (Saturday)
West needs a leg-up to compete with the world
Robert Quartly-Janeiro says the Government’s Levelling Up agenda ignores the South West at its peril
THE South West is home to 5.6million people, which put into perspective is greater than the populations of countries like Scotland and Denmark. London and the South East has been the jewel in the UK economic crown, but the government’s plan to ‘level up’ the country is as necessary as it is long overdue.
The problem with this idea of levelling up is two-fold. Firstly, to what level up are we headed? Will Plymouth become as economically connected as Reading, or will WestonSuper-Mare see wages and growth on a par with Brighton? Secondly, if announcements and existing initiatives are anything to go by then the agenda is predicated on the needs of a ‘Blue Wall’ in the Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands. Without a target the idea of levelling up is a dream, and one that does not appear to incorporate the South West.
Look at the numbers and the need for improving the economy and quality of life for those in the region makes for a mixture of clear need on one hand, and mass inequality on the other. The region has the highest number of Universal Credit claimants who are in work of anywhere in the country (42%). House prices have risen by 14% over the past twelve months but wages by less than inflation. Even then, the above average house prices and below average wages – with one fifth of workers on less than a living wage – creates friction with newcomers seeking urban escapes, whose ideas, experiences, and enthusiasm for the area we need. It also deepens the deprivation that exists. Travelling on the region’s trains is numbingly expensive and the closure of airports at a time when the rest of world is building new hubs highlights the lack of infrastructure and vision – faster internet cannot solve everything.
The South West is a world-class place to live and a global leader in hospitality, social care, engineering, manufacturing and consumer goods like pasties and cheese, yet it was as good at those in 2010 as it is today. Moreover, hotels, restaurants, shops and care homes, are notoriously low paid and prospects for progression and well-remunerated careers limited. How can people stay, build their lives, and open new and exciting businesses in a region where they cannot earn enough to live, rent a home or buy one, or have a career that gives them the skills, experiences and qualifications to thrive? Simple answer: they cannot and will not, and we will all be poorer for it.
Levelling up the South West requires huge investment to connect a capital city like Cardiff with its neighbours in North Devon, it means diversification of the economy away from what it already does well; growth of services, technology, and knowledge industries; cheaper transportation; high wages, affordable and quality housing; ensuring cities in the region becoming as economically independent as Nice, France or Miami, USA, with populations to match. Failure to do so risks creating large disparities in lives, childhood poverty, and anger.
The government’s levelling up agenda is ignoring the South West at its peril . For all the talk of a ‘Blue Wall’ in the North, our region returned 48 Conservative MPs at the last election including those at the very heart of government thinking. The region must remind those same people of the expectations by developing a plan and finding its voice in the way Andy Burnham does in Manchester and Andy Street in the West Midlands. If we do not, then will drop down a level when other regions take a step up.
■ Robert Quartly-Janeiro is a Visiting Fellow, London School of Economics