Taskforce will hold PM to his ‘ levelling up’ policy
Educational gulf between London and North revealed
A NEW taskforce of Conservative MPs has been formed to hold Boris Johnson to his ‘ levelling up’ agenda as new figures illustrate the stark divide between the educational prospects of London and Yorkshire.
Less than a third of the population goes onto higher education in five areas of the region and the proportion of young people in Yorkshire going to university lags far behind that in the capital, according to analysis by Onward, a think- tank led by Huddersfieldborn Conservative MP Neil O’Brien.
The centre- right organisation today publishes a report, ‘ Measuring up for levelling up’, which reveals the growing gulf between London and the North in areas such as household income, economic growth and educational outcomes.
The report shows that opportunity is not evenly spread, with more than 45 per cent of poorer pupils in Greater London who were eligible for free school meals progressing to higher education in 2018/ 19. Outside London there were 80 local authorities where richer pupils not on free school meals were less likely than this to go to university.
In five parts of Yorkshire and the Humber, Hull, North- East Lincolnshire, Barnsley, Doncaster and North Lincolnshire, less than a third of all pupils go onto higher education.
The report says: “In recent years the proportion of pupils going to university has been much higher in London than the rest of the country, with other urban areas like the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Leicester also doing well.
“The proportion progressing to higher education has grown much faster in these areas.
“This may to some extent reflect the growing proportion of parents in these cities who are graduates, but may also reflect other factors.
“If we look at progression rates just for children eligible for free school meals ( who may have more similar parental qualifications) the pattern is the same, with FSM pupils in London more likely to go than the average pupil elsewhere.”
The Conservatives’ success in taking former Labour strongholds in last year’s General Election means its MPs now represent some of the areas lagging furthest behind London.
According to Onward’s report, earnings in seats the Conservatives won in 2019 are on average five per cent lower than in Labourheld seats, and houses in Labour seats are worth on average £ 62,000 more.
The new Levelling Up Taskforce is said to have been set up to “champion ideas to boost Britain’s lagging areas and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to make the best of their talents, no matter where they are from.” It includes Rother Valley’s Alex Stafford, Harrogate’s Andrew Jones and Penistone and Stocksbridge’s Miriam Cates.