North–South divide in England

In England, the term North–South divide refers to the cultural, economic, and social differences between Southern England and Northern England:

Southern England usually refers to South East England and in some definitions, The East Of England, including Greater London. Northern England usually refers to North East England, Yorkshire and the Humber and North West England including Merseyside and Greater Manchester. There is also the central region of the Midlands which historically was administered by the Kingdom of Mercia whose borders were defined by the Mersey, the Humber, the Severn and the Thames as shown by its flag, a saltire cross. Counties in the north of the area, such as Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland and Staffordshire are sometimes seen as Northern. A grouping of "Central England" based on European parliamentary constituency boundaries combined the Midlands and East Anglia until the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union in January 2020. The cultural, economic, and social disparities between the north and the south are reflected in English politics. Between the early 20th century and 2019, the Labour Party was the dominant political party in the north and the Conservative Party was dominant in the south. The 2019 general election is sometimes described as a great political realignment as a result of Brexit, with north moving significantly towards the pro-Brexit Conservatives and away from Labour who were split on the issue of Brexit. However, Danny MacKinnon, Professor of Regional Development and Governance at Newcastle University, noted that Labour's vote share in the north outside of metropolitan areas had declined consistently since 2001, with the exception of 2017. An article in The Economist published in 2012 argued that the gap between the north and south in life expectancy, political inclinations and economics trends was growing to the extent that they were almost separate countries.

Definition and criteria

The North–South divide is not an exact line, but one that can involve many stereotypes, presumptions and other impressions of the surrounding region relative to other regions. There is considerable debate between scholars over the degree of difference. For example, a Cambridge Econometrics report of March 2006 found that economic growth above the UK average was occurring only in the South and South East England, whilst North East England showed the slowest growth. The same data has been interpreted otherwise to indicate only a very small difference. Indeed, results are highly dependent on the categories chosen for evaluation. As a generalisation, the following tend to indicate that there is some sort of north–south divide:

Health conditions, which are generally seen as being worse in the north, though spending on healthcare is higher. House prices, which are higher in the south, particularly the south-east. Average earnings, which are significantly higher in the south and east. Political influence. Public investment in London and the south-east per person in the five years to 2019–20, was 50% more than that in the North. However, when factors such as the cost of living or urban poverty are included, the divisions are sometimes less clear. Some commentators have suggested that other divisions, such as class or ethnicity might be more important. The Economist claims that one of the main causes of the divide was the migration of young professionals from the north to work in London, whereas it is much less common for young professionals from the south to move to a northern city. The Institute for Public Policy Research published the "State of the North 2019" report, from IPPR North, which blames regional inequality on power centralisation and the lack of devolution. The report showed that the UK has larger regional divisions than any other country at a comparable level of economic development. The Northern Independence Party was founded in October 2020, with the intention of fixing the north–south divide by gaining independence for the North of England.

Identities and differences

Culture

There is a perceived cultural divide in England between the north and the south. When the commercial broadcaster Granada Television began transmission in 1956, it was primarily based in Manchester. Granada's strapline before both networked and regional programming was originally "From The North, Granada Presents...". A large arrow pointing Upward (North) was part of this caption. Granada Television's 1960s updated arrow (a G with an upwards arrow) was prominent on local idents and production until GranadaTV's identity was divided between the ITV Granada and Granada Productions (later ITV Studios) brands as part of the creation of ITV plc in 2004. Counterbalancing the image of the rich South/poor North divide are television programmes like Cold Feet, which feature Yuppie-esque, rich or upper-class Northerners, a deviation from the stereotypical North. Meanwhile, Only Fools and Horses is based around working-class life in Peckham. Statistics suggest that the consumption of fast food appears to be higher in the North of England, with the UK's fourteen "fattest cities" to the north or west of the dividing lines detailed above. The 2005 BBC Two interview series It's Grim Up North and subsequent book by Judith Holder attempted to tease out some of these divisions. While those in the north complained of having fewer cultural opportunities, the book also provided a view of southern life as faceless and bland.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.