Worst places to grow up poor revealed as report uncovers 'postcode lottery' in social mobility
A report finds London and other big cities are pulling away from the rest of the UK, with many rural areas being left behind.
Tuesday 28 November 2017 15:08, UK
Social mobility is a postcode lottery in the UK with London "looking like a different country from the rest of Britain", a report has found.
The Social Mobility Commission says success is often tied to geography - with West Somerset the worst place in Britain for disadvantaged children and Westminster the best area for young people to progress.
The commission's State of the Nation report states that London and its surrounding areas are pulling away from the rest of the country, while many rural, coastal and former industrial areas are being left behind economically and hollowed out socially.
The report debunks the assumption that a simple north/south divide exists. Instead, it suggests there are hotspots and coldspots found in almost every part of the country.
London dominates the hotspots, while the East and West Midlands are the worst performing regions. Youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds who live there face lower rates of pay, fewer top jobs and travel-to-work times nearly four times those of urban residents.
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The report calls on the Government to increase its spending on those parts of the country that most need it. Estimates suggest that the North is £6bn a year underfunded compared to London.
The report ranks all 324 local authorities in England in terms of their social mobility prospects for someone from a disadvantaged background.
It uses a range of 16 indicators for every major life stage to map the nation's social mobility hotspots and coldspots. A similar, but not comparable, approach is taken for Scotland and Wales.
While more affluent areas tend to outperform deprived areas in the index, a number of places buck the trend.
Best social mobility areas:
:: Westminster
:: Kensington and Chelsea
:: Tower Hamlets
:: Wandsworth
:: Hackney
Worst social mobility areas:
:: West Somerset
:: Newark and Sherwood
:: Weymouth and Portland
:: Corby
:: Carlisle
Some of the most deprived areas in England are hotspots, including most London boroughs - such as Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham.
Conversely, some affluent areas - such as West Berkshire, Cotswold and Crawley - are among the worst for offering good education, employment opportunities and affordable housing to their most disadvantaged residents.
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Former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility Commission, said the UK "seems to be in the grip of a self-reinforcing spiral of ever-growing division".
"That takes a spatial form, not just a social one," he said. "There is a stark social mobility lottery in Britain today.
"London and its hinterland are increasingly looking like a different country from the rest of Britain. It is moving ahead, as are many of our country's great cities. But too many rural and coastal areas and the towns of Britain's old industrial heartlands are being left behind economically and hollowed out socially."
He added: "A new level of effort is needed to tackle the phenomenon of left-behind Britain.
"Overcoming the divisions that exist in Britain requires far more ambition and far bigger scale. A less divided Britain will require a more redistributive approach to spreading education, employment and housing prospects across our country."