Making Places Work — new study reveals the most improved places in the North of England

Today, our award-winning regeneration team has launched a new report that uncovers how life and work across the North of England has changed since the millennium.

Making Places Work uncovers how much local authorities in the North have improved or declined across a range of metrics — including jobs, income, housing, health, civic engagement and education levels — to help better understand the impact of regeneration projects in the North.

To download it, complete our contact form below and we'll email you a copy.

At-a-glance:

• North West stands out: top two most improved local authorities are in the North West — South Ribble, West Lancashire — but the region also contains the least improved areas.
• Working in the North: more jobs in 75% of local authorities and two-thirds are seeing businesses grow. The biggest progress in Greater Manchester and West Lancashire.
• Living in the North: rise in first-time buyers and a fall in crime but disappointing health outcomes including healthy life expectancy and child obesity present a mixed picture. 

The most improved places

The two most improved local authorities overall are South Ribble and West Lancashire. Each has seen consistently high improvement across a number of measures, including productivity, higher incomes and outcomes for child obesity and child poverty. 

Significant investment in regeneration in Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas is likely to be a key driver of this success, especially when it comes to economic prosperity. However, the benefits haven't been universally felt and North West local authorities — including Bolton, Bury and Rochdale — are among the areas that have seen the least improvement. 

While it's clear that Greater Manchester and the areas around it stand out, other places outperform expectations too. Kingston upon Hull in East Yorkshire has seen the biggest rise in first-time buyers, Gateshead in the North East is one of a tiny handful of local authorities where child obesity hasn't gone up and Selby in Yorkshire has seen employment rise by 14%. 

We hope that this research will help regeneration professionals, politicians and others interested in progress in northern communities better understand what's working and how we ensure that regeneration delivers for everyone.

Working in the North

Overall, there are positive signs of economic progress in the North, with 75% of local authorities seeing higher employment and two thirds (65%) an increase in the number of businesses. 

All five local authorities that stand out for economic progress — appearing among the most improved in at least four of the economic metrics (employment, education, productivity, economic activity, income and child poverty) measured by the report — are in Lancashire or Greater Manchester.

Much of the progress is correlated with successful regeneration and investment and Manchester’s economic success is especially significant, scoring fifth for increases in employment, third for productivity and first for increases in disposable income across the whole of the North. 

• North East jobs boom: the North East is the only Northern region to see faster job growth than the rest of the country (5%), featuring two of the highest performing local authorities overall — Gateshead and North Tyneside.
• A mixed productivity picture: productivity lags behind England overall and there are pronounced disparities across the North of England — from increases of under £5 GVA per hour worked at the lower end (Darlington, Fylde) to £23 at the top end (South Ribble).
• Better educated: education levels are rising universally, with all areas of the North seeing at least a 10% increase in Level 4+ qualifications. Salford and Trafford show the highest rises at 19%.
• Child poverty: child poverty has increased in every single local authority and has increased the most in areas where economic growth has been strongest, including Manchester and Liverpool — suggesting that the benefits of growing prosperity haven't been equally shared.

Living in the North

More jobs and higher income levels haven't resulted in better health outcomes since the turn of the century. Women’s healthy life expectancy has increased in only four local authorities and men’s in just five. Only Manchester, Warrington and Calderdale saw healthy life expectancy go up for both men and women since 2011. 

Child obesity has also increased in 95% of local authorities in the North. This worrying health picture isn't unique to the North of England and is consistent across the UK, although child obesity is up more in all northern regions than the average in England.

The story is more positive when it comes to crime, civic engagement and the rate of first-time buyers:

• First-time buyers: one in four local authorities in the North have seen the number of first-time buyers more than double. The local authority with the highest increase in first-time buyers is Kingston-upon Hull. Lancashire and Greater Manchester again feature prominently with the local authorities of Knowsley, Preston, Hyndburn and Salford completing the top five.
• Falling local crime: local crime — particularly theft and non-sexual violence — has seen a dramatic reduction across most of the North of England. Crime is down by 38% across the North as a whole and in Humberside and North Yorkshire. Lincolnshire police recorded that crime has more than halved.
• Civic engagement: there's a clear link between civic leadership and progress. Three of the most improved places overall (Stockport, Trafford, Manchester) are in the top ten for local election turnout increases. Conversely, areas with lower performing economies (e.g., North East Lincolnshire) had the greatest decrease in turnout.

Iain Gamble, our Partner and Real Estate Practice Group Head, explains: "This data suggests that investment has been successful in improving life for many people in the North, from booming employment in the North East to strong productivity in Lancashire. When you look at the areas that are doing best, you don't have to look far to find a corresponding regeneration initiative and in many areas improving job prospects and incomes have tracked alongside better health and higher turnouts in local elections.

However, the story isn't uniformly positive and offers some clear lessons for future projects. Rising child poverty in places with improving economic data is a sure sign that not all local people are benefiting. Future regeneration efforts must ensure that economic growth translates into tangible improvements for all residents, particularly the most vulnerable families. This requires a new era of greater collaboration defined by pace (driving projects with discipline and rigour) and purpose (the collective will to drive change)."

Find out more

Download our new research report Making Places Work to get the full picture.

Talk to us

As a purpose-led, independent law firm and certified B Corp, we believe that urban renewal is a powerful force for good. From revitalising town centres to constructing strategic infrastructure and housing, our award-winning solicitors play a central role in projects that breathe new life into communities across the UK.

Recognised by The Legal 500 for our involvement in "some of the biggest and most complicated development deals in recent times", our full-service regeneration team has over 120 experts in real estate development, planning, public procurement, housing and construction law. We provide the legal and commercial insights needed to break down barriers, accelerate progress and make places work.

To discuss your regeneration aims and ambitions with us, email regeneration@brabners.com, call us on 0333 004 4488 or fill in our contact form.