UK in the 21st century

• Characteristics of the UK

  population density: the number of people per unit varies

  • typically highest in cities, e.g London (5500 people per km2), Glasgow, Birmingham
  • high in areas around major cities/cluster of cities, e.g south east, midlands + central scotland
  • mountainous regions, e.g northern Scotland + central wales have low population densities
  • other low areas: north England, west wales
  • eden in Cumbria has a population density of 24 people per km2

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• High population density problems:

  • shortage of available housing
  • e.g in London 60,000 new homes needed every year to keep up with population growth
  • can lead to increase in house prices, so people can’t afford to live there
  • pressure on services, e.g healthcare + schools
  • can be long waiting lists to see drs + children have to attend school far away
• UK rainfall patterns:

  • north + west have high rainfall
  • e.g Aultbea in NW Scotland has an average annual rainfall of 1470mm
  • the s and e of uk have lower rainfall
  • e.g London has an annual average rainfall of 560mm
  • rainfall is high in coastal areas than inland
  • mountainous areas get more rainfall than low lying areas. Areas with high population density use lots of resources, e.g water. If the area has low rainfall, can lead to water stress (not enough water to meet peoples needs) London has severe water stress
• Land use

  • 70% of UK is agricultural land
  • arable farming is more common in the S and E of the country + grazing animals is more common in the N and W
  • less than 10% is built on
  • buildings are concentrates in large urban areas: specifically SE England, Midlands and central Scotland —> urban areas are expanding
  • forest covers 13% of land, some natural, some planted + is managed by people
  • some areas are unused, and left in natural state, e.g mountainous/boggy areas in N Scotland
• Ageing population:

  • 18% of the population are 65+, is increasing because:
  • low birth rates, families having less children
  • in the UK the average children per family decreased from 2.9 in 1964 to 1.8 in 2014
  • more women are choosing not to have children
  • people are living longer due to better medical care + healthier lifestyles (e.g not smoking)
  • life expectancy in the UK increased from 72 in 1964 to 81 in 2015
• Spatial distribution of the elderly

  • proportion of older people is lower in Northern Ireland and Scotland than in England and Wales
  • lower in big cities, e.g London, Bristol and Manchester
  • people living in cities tend to be working age to be closer to their jobs
  • percentage of older people is high in coastal areas, especially in east and sw england as lots of people move there when they retire
• ageing population effects (social)

  • healthcare services under pressure as demand for medical care has increased
  • people act as unpaid carers for older family members in their free time, so they have less leisure time + are more stressed
  • people may be unable to afford to have lots of children when they have dependent older relatives —> may lead to further drop in birth rate
  • many retired people do voluntary work, e.g in hospitals, which benefits the community
• ageing population effects (economic)

  • taxes for working people rise to pay for healthcare and services, e.g pensions + retirement homes
  • older people who aren’t working pay less tax —> their economic contribution decreases —> relies more on working class
  • older people look after grandchildren so their children can work
  • many older people have a disposable income, which they spend on goods + services, that boost the economy
• responses to the UK’s ageing population

  • as the number of older people increase, the government needs to increase taxes or cut spending in other areas (e.g education) to fund more support + medical care
  • government is raising the age at which people can claim a pension —> people stay in work for longer —> contribute to taxes + pensions for longer
• more responses

  • Gov are encouraging people to save more money to pay for their retirement —> e.g in 2015 the gov launched savings accounts for over-65s known as ’pensioner bonds’ —> offer a higher rate of interest so older people can save more
  • the UK gov offers a winter fuel allowance to all older people —> in future may only be given to older people who can’t afford to heat their homes —> less money is spent overall
• Economic changes

  • Driven by politics 
  • Between 1997 and 2007 the UK economy grew + unemployment decreased

  Because of government priorities:

  • Encouraging investment in new tech, e.g computing industries
  • Investing in university education, leading to a more skilled workforce
• • In 2008 the UK entered recession; businesses failed, GDP decreased + unemployment increased

  Government changed their priorities to end. The recession:

  • Supporting businesses so they didn’t collapse; their collapse would increase unemployment
  • Decreasing taxes on goods to encourage spending and international trade
  • Borrowing money from, e.g private companies + overseas investors
• • Recession ended in 2009

  Government had to focus on paying off money borrowed during the recession + helping people find jobs:

  • Cutting spending on public services, e.g pensions, education + defence to raise money
  • Provide training for job-seekers + support for new businesses to decrease unemployment

   
• Uks employment sectors have changed:

  • Since 2001: quaternary sector jobs have increased most (e.g education + research, ICT)
  • Jobs in secondary industries (e.g manufacturing) have decreased
  • N.o of people in primary production (e.g farming + mining) and tertiary industries (e.g retail) have stayed steady
  • Biggest increases have been in professional + technical jobs; e.g law, computing, research + development
  • Employment in manufacturing decreased most, due to cheaper materials + labour being available overseas
• Working hours have decreased since 2001:

  • Working hours are decreasing: average n.o of hours worked in a week was 34.7 in 2001, and 33.1 in 2014
  • Increase in people doing part time jobs + 0 hour contracts: flexibility, free lifestyle
  • N.o of families with both parents in full time work has increased in 2003, when the gov have increased financial support for low income working parents

   

   

  • Dinnington: was secondary industry with mines, then they closed and progressed to the tertiary sector

   
• Economic hubs:

  • Places where economic activity is concentrated
  • High conc of tertiary + quaternary industries: often based in cities, or science/business parks on the outskirts of cities where there are good transport links + links with universities 
  • Concentrated in SE England; cities e.g London, Cambridge + Brighton experiencing more rapid growth in new businesses + jobs