Is Britain levelling up?
Some town centres are getting prettier. Yawning economic gaps remain
Burnley, an hour’s drive north of Manchester, was once a thriving textiles hub. An imposing town hall recalls its Victorian success. But Burnley’s population is lower today than it was in 1900; wages are a quarter below the national average. The government has designated the area a priority for “levelling up”, its programme to close the wealth divide between the south-east of England and other regions.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Whatever happened to levelling up?”
Britain May 18th 2024
From the May 18th 2024 edition
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