Regional divisions

• Regional divisions in wealth also increased under Thatcher
• London and the south-east got richer and became more productive than the north-east and north-west, where productively actually declined
• Political commentators and historians often point out that the north-south divide was created as a result of Thatcher's policies
• Thatcher did try and address this problem through 'enterprise zones': these were deprived areas where private firms received government funds to move in and generate growth
• This did lead to some impressive urban renewal projects, such as the Albert Docks in Liverpool and the waterfront in Newcastle, but had limited wider sucess
• The number of economically inactive people in former industrial areas continued to increase between 1990 and 1997, and by 2001 one in five men in the former coalfields were unemployed up from 1 in 10 in 1981
• Some areas fared better at job creation than others in the 1990s, with Yorkshire, South Derbyshire and North Warwickshire bouncing back and South Wales struggling