N.O.R.F Posted May 24, 2004 GRIM DOWN SOUTH May 24 2004 After years in the doldrums, it's finally the north's turn to laugh... By David Edwards Additional Reporting: Jan Disley FOR years, southerners have regularly derided anywhere above the Watford Gap as an economic and cultural wasteland. But while the north/south divide is alive and kicking, it's not quite what it seems... New research reveals that the north is now the most vibrant part of the country, with a booming economy and quality of life to match. Northerners have cheaper homes, smaller bills and lower crime rates. And for the first time since 1992, economic growth in the region has outstripped the south. A massive building boom and hikes in public spending have all sparked the boom, says the Experian Business Strategies consultancy. Director Neil Blake says tourists' fear of flying after 9/11 has hit London hard. "Because of its heavy reliance on internationally exposed services - such as finance and tourism - the capital has brushed with recession in the past two years," he says. Former cricket umpire Dickie Bird, 71, from Barnsley, S Yorks, has no doubts about which region he prefers. "The standard of life in the north is far better. People are stacked on top of each other in the south, the traffic is bad, it's noisy and it's expensive. "In the north, we have lots of space. It's a much more pleasant environment in which to live." He may be right. Commuters in London dream of swapping the city's creaking, overcrowded tube network, choking traffic and £5 congestion charge for the quality of life people now enjoy in the North. The town of Alnwick, for instance, recently named Britain's best place to live, combines glorious landscapes, excellent schools, affordable housing and great links to Newcastle and beyond. Here, we compare the two regions to see which is the best place to live... HOUSE PRICES NORTH: Homes are cheaper here but they're rocketing in value, at rates southerners can only dream of. In the north, an average home costs £102,330, up 33.3 per cent on this time last year. In Yorkshire and Humberside, values shot up by 28.4 per cent, while in the north-west they rose 27.3 per cent. SOUTH: In London, the average home costs £262,000 but values are rising at 6.3 per cent, far more slowly than in the north. The figure for the south-east was 10.1 per cent and 13.3 per cent in the south-west. WINNER: NORTH WEALTH NORTH: Pay packets are slimmer here but money goes further. In the north-west, pay packets average £21,229, and £20,327 in the north-east. Londoners top the pay pile with £30,758, while in the south-east, the figure is £24,685. SOUTH: Despite the pay difference, the economy here is growing more slowly. Last year, the north's economy grew by 2.6 per cent compared to 0.4 per cent in London. A boom in homebuilding means cash is flowing northwards, bringing with it jobs and prosperity. WINNER: NORTH A NIGHT OUT NORTH: A chicken korma with pilau rice costs an average £5.50 while a pint of bitter is £1.50 and a glass of wine just £1.60. A pair of cinema tickets to the Odeon in Leeds costs £11, while you'll be paying about £5.90 for a five-mile cab ride home. Total: £25.50 SOUTH: The curry and rice in London costs an average of £7.55 while a pint of bitter costs £2.50, the same as a glass of wine. The cinema tickets will cost £21 in central London and you'll be paying £7 for a five-mile cab journey home. Total: £40.55. WINNER: NORTH HEALTH NORTH: The average life expectancy is 74 years for men in the north-east and north-west, while women can expect to live to 79. SOUTH: Men in the south-east and south-west can expect to live to 76.9 years. Women in the south-west live longest, averaging more than 81 years. WINNER: SOUTH GROCERIES NORTH: A 2.5kg bag of King Edward potatoes costs an average of £1.10, a two-pint carton of milk costs 46p while a pound of minced beef will set you back £1.99. SOUTH: You'll pay more. The potatoes will cost an average £1.30, the milk costs 55p and the beef is £2.24. WINNER: NORTH COUNCIL TAX NORTH: Although householders had to endure big rises in their bills this year, they still pay less than those in the south. The lowest bills for 2004-05 are in Yorkshire and Humberside, where the average household pays £836. In the north-east, it's £851 while the north-west pays £881. SOUTH: South-east has the highest bills, an average of £1,098 per home. London is close behind on £1,035 while the south-west pays £1,009. Torbay, Devon ,posted the year's biggest rise - up 10.8 per cent. WINNER: NORTH CRIME NORTH: Overall, crime is far lower here. In 2002-03, there were 115 offences reported per 100,000 people in the north-east, 118 in the north-west and 136 in Yorkshire and Humberside. SOUTH: London is Britain's most crime-ridden city. There were 152 crimes per 100,000 people in 2002-03. The robbery rate was also six times higher in the capital, with six recorded offences for every 100,000 people, according to the British Crime Survey. WINNER: NORTH EDUCATION NORTH: The region's Local Education Authorities dominated the bottom of the league tables for last year's GCSE results. Kingston upon Hull was bottom followed by Knowsley, in Merseyside, Nottingham and north-east Lincolnshire. SOUTH: Of the 10 best LEAs for GCSEs, eight are in the south, including Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, in the top spot. It was followed by Buckinghamshire, Redbridge and Sutton in Surrey, and Wokingham, Berks, according to government league tables. WINNER: SOUTH TOTAL: NORTH 6 SOUTH 2 VERDICT: There's still a great divide... but now it's most definitely grimmer down south. And you all wonder why i love the north of England, life is much better, stress free, hassle free, freindly ppl, clean street, clean ppl. So there u hav it NORF wins hand down, if you believe otherwise plz share,,,,, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted May 24, 2004 ^^^your in Australia mate, this is out of your league,,,,, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blessed Posted May 24, 2004 And you all wonder why i love the north of England, life is much better, stress free, hassle free, freindly ppl, clean street, clean ppl. Why you, ungrateful man! You take our jobs and enjoy our city and you call us dirty, unfriendly :mad: :mad: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted May 24, 2004 looool Simple answer is the £$£$£, more money down here, so i am more than happy to put up with you lot, only just tho, dont take it for granted tho . Ps lets not start a war here, cos we know who will come out on top, plus your southerners are not exactly well travelled are ya?? Yous lot hardly leave your 'endz' never mind a trip out of London, and dont come back with oh we dont need to leave because we have so much to do here when infact you guys dont do much anyway,,,,lol But looking at the facts from the report, you gotta say i'm right, right? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blessed Posted May 24, 2004 WHAT? Why on Allah's good earth would we want to travel out to the mountains? We have EVERY THING here London. Besides, if poor pay and poor GCSE marks are your thing.. waa caadiyos. You can bugger off back to the mountins, the sooner the better. I won't even commment on that silly report. I've got to take my southerner self home and do something FUN maybe I'll go shopping Enjoy, the rest of your after noon in your little office with your pile of paper work Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
checkmate Posted May 24, 2004 n ur point is .........uuuuummmhhh......n who cares.... asxantu Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LadyDotNet Posted May 24, 2004 I'll stay out of this one....seeing as you are alone on this one Norf...consider it a sympathy silence Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Valenteenah. Posted May 24, 2004 CM...Kindly take your dhuxul ar$e out of here! Norf, Dont give a monkeys bout wat some dodgy report says...me luv London just the way it is > polluted, over-crowded and dirty. *Sneezes* Damn hay fever! :mad: But you kno what, I wanna check out Scotland soon. I'A. I have been staring at Scottish tourism posters on the underground for the last few weeks. It looks nice. :cool: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted May 24, 2004 Ameenah, didnt know u had so much hostility to northerners, i will tread carefully from now on. Dont wanna fluster anymore feathers. I've got to take my southerner self home and do something FUN maybe I'll go shopping i can do that also, but it just be cheaper with my London wage and a trip up north . Enjoy, the rest of your after noon in your little office with your pile of paper work No complaints hear, cos me get paid 2mrw,lol. Scotland is a very nice relaxing place. A few of my freinds (Londoner) went last summer, to the highlands, they loved it,so go ahead, just hope that accent doesnt get your nerves as it does mine. But nothing beats London on a warm weekend,,,, AL, thanx, i think,,,,, Checkmate, lol, maan can u even play chess??? or are u a five minute whitewash? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LadyDotNet Posted May 24, 2004 funny you should say that Bee, My colleague has been showing off pix of the highlands & everything else for that matter ..kinda got me going......looks breathtaking! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
checkmate Posted May 24, 2004 posted by hooligan Checkmate, lol, maan can u even play chess??? or are u a five minute whitewash? jigga wat ......jigga who ....(whitewash)..........come again.... cajiibatul cajaa'iba asxantu Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NGONGE Posted May 24, 2004 We do you mean we Londoners don’t go anywhere? We’re Somalis, we have friends and family all over the place. North/South divide don’t apply to us. Well, not to me anyway. I’ve lived in the North and I lived in the South. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Valenteenah. Posted May 24, 2004 AL, Doesnt it just? I think I will nip up to the highlands for a couple of weeks nxt month IA. R&R. Norf, I actually luv Scottish accents. My Macroeconomics lecturer was Scottish so I had to get used to it fast and it kinda grew on me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Curly Posted May 24, 2004 looooooool, So typical!!!! Ha what do you expect from those uneducated dreary dull people up north! Who now have the audacity to come scampering down south in hope of finding the better life, where money is no object and the cities are so vibrant with colour and life. And then for them to spit in the face of those people who helped them obtain what they’ve longed for. And as for the whole, “we southerners don’t travel”… well I’ve been to the north, west midlands and even south west plenty of times and not a single city could compare to London. They were all boring, smog filled lifeless polluted ex-industrial cities. And even the people, who are resident of these forgotten wastelands up North, have poor complexions (Probably from the harsh environment) and even their accents are slow and slurred and less developed. I think they maybe still evolving and are probably more primate then us southerners. The people up north come across as ancient and decades behind us as they’re still fighting racism. I actually love the countryside but cities like Sheffield are slowly decaying away what’s left of the beautiful UK countryside. Watch an episode or Coronation Street if you can bear it and you’ll see exactly what I mean! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
