government policies

• government policy is a plan or course of action decided by a government to manage issues in a country. this has also resulted in a change in the industrial structure of the UK
• 1945-1979

  • the UK government created state run industries such as the british rail
  • government money was spent on propping up declining UK industries
  • the 1970s was a decade of strikes, social unrest, factory closures and power cuts
• 1979 - 2010

  • state run industries were sold off to private shareholders to create a more competitive business environment, this is called privatisation
  • many new private companies brought innovation and change. the derelict areas were transformed into new financial centres and modern retail outlets
• 2010 onwards

  • the aim of the government was to balance the economy
  • government policies have been: improvements in transport infrastructure, more investment in manufacturing industries, easier access to loans and finance, encouraging global firms to locate within the UK
• north east england was one of the first industrial regions in the UK at the start of the industrial revolution
• easington colliery impact has been devastating as when the mine closed in 1993, over a thousand men were left unemployed
• successive governments have tried different strategies to revitalise North east england such as:

  • investment in new infrastructure, including roads and industrial estates
  • encouraging foreign investment from TNCs, Nissan opened a new car plant and it now employs 7000 people