According to the latest research 9 of the 10 most productive areas in the UK are in London and the South East. The tenth is Runnymede, not exactly in t’North.
The only areas keeping in touch with London are Cambridge and the East, which are now very closely tied to London.
The fact is that the capital is the driving force of the economy even though it is overcrowded, expensive and increasingly difficult to buy a home in. Which is why HS2 mattered so much, making it easier to spread the wealth from London to the rest of the country by improving connections and cutting journey times.
Unfortunately the nimbyism of Tory MPs combined with the cheese paring inefficiency of the worst series of governments in living history have helped turn HS2 from a wealth spreader into little more than a weed covered, rusty railway cutting. Not connected to the North or to a London terminal it is the kind of massive infrastructure failure that will hang over the country for years. It had to be done well or not at all.
Now London will continue to pull away from the rest of country economically, its dominance will increase, the brakes will have to be slammed on every time London looks like overheating and when the rest of the country has barely got started. All for want of investment and common sense.
You cannot spread wealth to places you cannot get to easily and cheaply.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media
Better rail connections could be achieved without investing in a white elephant like HS2? It’s assumptions didn’t add up even before Covid. Public infrastructure is crucial & better local transport essential but HS2 was never going to help. I rarely disagree with you but I do on this point!