Inherent advantages of South-East require balancing act

THERE has been a lot of complaints about the Government’s lack of help for the North (Yorkshire Post, May 28).

There is no doubt that London and the South-East are favoured for various reasons, ie proximity to the Continent, greater skills in the workforce, better transport links etc. These are what you might call inherent advantages and all the more reason therefore why we should get any concessions by way of tax or allowances that are going.

I have suggested spreading out the Civil Service which would give a shot in the arm for the regions and relieve pressure in the capital. This is such a sensible suggestion that it will never be adopted. There are too many vested interests in keeping the set-up as it is.

In my opinion, the idea that local enterprise partnerships will magic a remarkable transformation is an illusion.

Any recovery up here will be partial only and will have to be on the back of a recovery in the economy as a whole.

I believe the opening to Europe is important despite the contempt in which it is held by people who don’t know any better.

Given the present state of things, the economy will not get back on an even keel for several years and in future we will have to learn to live within our means. And that includes the Labour Party.

From: Dr David Hill, executive director, World Innovation Foundation, Huddersfield.

THE largest long-term unemployed figure since 1997 of 850,000 out of work, indicates that our national economic strategic policy is inherently flawed.

Indeed, with the huge deficit cuts that the Government are having to make through Labour’s disastrous and unprecedented mismanagement of the economy for 13 years, this highly alarming record for the future of British employment will eventually be well exceeded and unfortunately, if we do not take action, be in perpetuity and permanent.

This will be devastating for Britain’s future and for the generations to come.

For history has shown that every successive government has failed to bring long-term stability and long-term job growth.

The reason for this is that government and their Whitehall advisers do not understand the dynamics of international competitiveness and how important innovation is to create employment and new wealth.

Until this great penny drops and they introduce eight strategically positioned incubator centres that are directly linked to our world-leading universities and corporations, long-term unemployment will continue to spiral.

From: Andrew Johnson, Yeadon, Leeds.

DAVID Cameron promised to appoint city ministers a year ago (Yorkshire Post, May 28). He is hardly likely to do so now, given the length of time it has taken to achieve precisely nothing.

I’m afraid this inertia is indicative of the PM’s complacency towards these parts. Do others agree?