How floods divided Britain

The New Statesman reported on the inequality of those experiencing flooding in rural areas as opposed to urban ones

The article records how residents were tired of being told by Londoners that they shouldn’t live on flood plains, as London is on a flood plain as well. Many people see floods as a man-made disaster, rather than a natural one, caused by the neglect or mismanagement of flood plains around the country.

Divides between London and the rest of the country were further highlighted last week after a report by the think-tank IPPR North, covered by the Guardian, revealed nearly half of the new jobs created in England in the last decade were in London and the south-east, though the region is only home to a third of the population.

Office-based professional and administrative roles, as well as those in accommodation and food service, were among the kinds of jobs that increased. As a whole, the north-east, which also has the lowest average disposable income of all English regions, saw only 1% of the country’s total job increases in the last ten years, despite being 5% of the population.

Full articles:

The New Statesman - How floods divided Britain

The Guardian - Almost half of all new jobs in England are in south-east – report