Many of the cities with the most improved economies over the past decade are in the north, an analysis by the Centre for Cities think-tank shows. Financial Times, The Independent
Measured by job creation, Doncaster, Sunderland, Sheffield and Warrington are among the top 10 improvers – the top three are Milton Keynes, Portsmouth and Brighton.
Despite the big improvement, many northern cities still stand well down the league table for employment.
But the study shows that some of the biggest, most successful cities contain huge disparities when wealth and deprivation are measured.
Surrounding suburbs and towns can be far wealthier with higher employment rates than the city itself, and within the city there can be stark contrasts.
Thus Birmingham, Manchester and London each appears in the 10 most unequal urban areas.