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Blueprint to tackle Manchester's north-south divide

15/05/2008

Beverley Hughes, the government's minister for the northwest, has said more needs to be done to improve the quality of life on the north side of Manchester.

While south Manchester is reportedly the fastest-growing part of England outside the south-east, the rest of the city-region needs an integrated strategy to improve housing, transport and job prospects.

Ms Hughes was speaking on the same day as she launched the Sub National Review, an economic blueprint aimed at delivering prosperity in the city-region for the next decade.

"We are talking about transformation, not business as usual. It is about taking tough choices - establishing and sticking to priorities," she stated.

"Above all it is about increasing economic growth, using that growth and carrying these priorities through to tackle long-standing pockets of deprivation."

According to the Centre for Social Justice, the proportion of men in Manchester admitted to hospital due to alcohol is the second highest in Britain.

Moreover, the city's teenage pregnancy rate is double the average for England.