Britain is still divided between north and south on a wide range of social and economic factors, according to an analysis of the 1991 census data published on August 11 by the School for Advanced Urban Studies at Bristol University. People and Places: a 1991 census atlas of England also highlights the inner city/suburb divide within all major conurbations. Among notable findings:
there is strong correlation between long-term illness and measures of social and material deprivation, with over a quarter of all households in more than 100 districts containing one person suffering a health problem or a handicap;
more than half the households in Surrey have access to two or more cars, compared to fewer than one in ten in inner London, Liverpool and Manchester;
in Knowsley, near Liverpool, one in 11 households is headed by a lone parent, compared to one in 60 in East Dorset.
Contact Julia Mortimer on 0272 741117 ext 251
The economic down-turn has severely affected the ability of urban development corporations to attract private sector money to regenerate urban areas. The government-funded bodies have also not met 40% of their key annual performance targets, according to a report by the National Audit Office published on August 25. The NAO examined performance of the eight second and third generation UDCs, established in 1987 and 1989, and found that together they spent £753 million in the period up to 31 March 1992. This attracted private investment of some £2,500 million, representing an average leverage ratio of 3.3 to 1, compared to 5.2 to 1 for all UDCs four years earlier. Current leverage varies greatly from 6.1 in Sheffield to 1.8 in Bristol. Contact Sheena MacDougall, NAO, on 071 798 7400
A new group of London business people has come together to improve security in the capital, and is to be chaired by Sir Trevor Chin, Chairman of Lex Service. The announcement was made at a seminar held on September 20 and organised by London First with international insurance brokers Bain Clarkson. London First is a private sector led initiative to make London a better place in which to live, work, invest and visit. The seminar heard Home Secretary, Michael Howard MP, call on London employers to mobilise their workforces to increase vigilance against crime and terrorism. Contact Janie Joel, London First, on 071 321 6405
Continuing its work to improve the capital, London First also issued a report in August calling for changes to the government’s plans to deregulate London’s buses. The report warns that deregulation outside London caused initial dislocation and proposes measures to improve coordination, including bus priority traffic schemes, an integrated passenger information system and better ticketing. Contact Janie Joel, London First, on 071 321 6405
The London Docklands Development Corporation and the Corporation of London have come together for the first time on a joint promotion of London at the World Property Market held in Hong Kong on September 27-30. Historically there has been rivalry between the two areas as financial centres.
Also at the Hong Kong event is a stand coordinated by the British Urban Regeneration Association featuring five urban development corporations and eight city challenge partnerships. BURA has produced a brochure on behalf of the Department of the Environment on development opportunities in urban areas. Contact Susan Driver, LDDC, on 071 512 3000, Gerald Carey-Elwes, BURA, on 071 253 5054 and Corporation of London on 071 332 1454
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