Automation revolution to hit most socially deprived Towns hardest

THE CSJ identifies 10 former manufacturing Towns where jobs are at risk from automation and social deprivation is already high; The 10 post industrial Towns include:- Southport, Doncaster, Wigan, Blackpool, Mansfield, Barnsley, Bradford, Plymouth, Stoke-on-Trent, Wakefield and Dudley; Low tax enterprise zones underpinned by ₤1.4 billion regeneration fund to be set up in these places; Regional divide set to widen as jobs growth in North and Midlands continues to fall behind South East and London; Automation will further entrench social deprivation unless action is taken. The same Towns in the North and the Midlands that were worst hit by the loss of industry are most at risk of a 2nd surge in unemployment triggered by robots taking over skilled and semi skilled jobs, a major new report warns today.

Researchers have identified 10 Towns that have low productivity and are highly vulnerable to the Fourth Industrial Revolution in which technologies driven by artificial intelligence will make many jobs redundant. Big Cities such as:- London, Manchester and Birmingham are found to be well placed to ride the automation wave. But many smaller Towns; weakened by high levels of social deprivation; are at risk of falling further behind their bigger rivals, in much the same way as they lost ground with the collapse of heavy industry in the 1980's.

The report calls for urgent action with enterprise zones featuring tax breaks and financial support for firms being created in the 10 Towns most as risk of accelerating economic decline.  At a total cost of ₤1.4 billion; ₤500 for every 1 of 2.8 million residents; Government money should be devolved to local Councils for infrastructure investment, urban regeneration, and programmes to reduce social breakdown and poverty. In addition, they should benefit from scrapping employer's national insurance payments by high growth businesses. Critically, the report finds, factors such as crime, drug use, family breakdown and educational failure, make it harder for these post industrial Towns to build economic momentum.

Formerly thriving manufacturing strongholds, such as Dudley, Wigan and Doncaster, are today blighted by a chronic and varied combination of unemployment, high welfare dependency, educational failure, drug addiction and devastating levels of family breakdown.

The report finds the 'left behind' Towns with high social deprivation are least likely to attract the jobs of the future, which will mostly be service based and generated in major Cities with good transport links, cultural attractions and dynamic local leadership such as London, Manchester and Birmingham.

The think tank has analysed jobs growth figures and calculated that the gap in jobs growth between the prosperous South East and the 'rustbelt' Regions in the North and the Midlands is only due to widen.

The think tank calculates that job growth in London will be double that in the East Midlands and three times the rate of growth in the North East. In the West Midlands meanwhile, job growth is due to grind into reverse gear with a 1% drop over the next 7 years.

The CSJ report fears the additional blow of the automation revolution will sink these 'left behind' Towns further into social and economic deterioration and split the UK irretrievably into a two-tier economy with jobs and prosperity focused on London and the South East.

Andy Cook, chief executive of the CSJ, commented:- "Parts of the UK are trapped in a cycle of deprivation that is only set to get worse as the jobs market changes. Automation will bring huge positives to the UK economy as a whole, including a much needed boost to productivity, but not everyone will benefit equally. To allow the residents of these 'left behind' Towns to seize the opportunities in the future jobs market, they need a policy blueprint that provides better transport links, better teachers in Schools, better housing and dynamic local leadership to raise aspirations and create opportunities. In Cities such as Manchester, the effect of strong leadership is clear. Manchester's revival as a hub for marketing, technology, design and other professional services is in large part down to the powerful leadership of the joint leaders of the City Council. It now attracts the second largest amount of foreign direct investment for a City in the UK after London. Tees Valley is also a case study of an area being turned around by its newly created Mayor installed in the Combined Authority. We need to a raft of new measures to bring around a Regional revolution. Power must be put in the hands of accountable local leaders, such as the metro mayors, who know where resources would be best used. Turning around the 'rustbelt' Region is not only important to the country as a whole if we are to compete internationally; it's vital to improving the lives of those who suffer the injustice of being born where opportunity is lacking."

The report also highlights the low mobility of workers among low income households as people struggle with the cost of housing, poor access to transport and, in the worst cases, fear becoming homeless if they move area.

The CSJ warns:- "The loss of jobs linked to deindustrialisation in the 2nd ½ of the 20th Century set off a chain of social and economic repercussions that are still being felt in post-industrial communities today. From an economic perspective, business closures and lower levels of business investment reduced the opportunities for skilled, well paid work, leaving many unemployed, dependent on welfare and often without any opportunities for new employment. Policy makers have to look at the social problems that have taken hold in some communities. If you do not tackle crime, welfare dependency, support better Schools, reduce the risk of young people being caught up in gang and drug culture, as well as helping parents stay together to support young children, it will be hard to generate the growth, jobs and economic opportunity some communities so desperately need."

Air Tattoo Set To Be Out Of This World

ORGANISERS of the Royal International Air Tattoo are promising visitors to 2019 summer's Airshow that it will be out of this world.  Special Super Earlybird tickets for the event, which takes place at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire over 19 and 21 July, 2019, have just gone on sale and, featuring the world's most exciting aircraft, the 2019 Airshow will turn its spotlight into space. The Airshow's theme Air and Space:- 'Inspiring the Next Generation Air Force' follows an announcement earlier in 2018, that the Royal Air Force will be taking command and control of the UK's military space operations, reflecting the importance of space in ensuring successful military operations around the world.  Andy Armstrong, Chief Executive of RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises, which organises the event, said that whilst the past 100 years saw military operations take place in the sky the next century would see activities increasingly stretching beyond the Earth's atmosphere. He said:- "As well as welcoming air arms from around the world, we plan to demonstrate, through engaging and interactive displays, how space technology is being developed and how it is being used to help counter threats to our everyday lives. Our focus on space will be particularly poignant as the 2019 airshow will take place on exactly the same day, 50 years ago that the 1st Moon landing took place, on 20 July 1969." Super Earlybird admission tickets for next summer's airshow have gone on sale priced ₤47. This represents a saving of almost 20% on the cost of a full priced standard admission ticket. The Royal International Air Tattoo is staged annually in support of the RAF Charitable Trust. To find out more about what's on offer each day, book tickets and explore the various enclosure options, visit:- AirTattoo.Com.

Young recycling champions rewarded

PUPILS at a Liverpool Primary School have been rewarded for their hard work spreading the message about the importance of recycling.  Children at Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School in Everton have been working with the City Council's recycling team to drive up the rate at their School, and also in the local community.  Each class has a reusable bag for its recyclable waste which has been so successful it has meant them having to get more Eurobins to take the rubbish, ran their own recycle week in June and are looking at options to reduce non-recyclable waste in the School.  To mark National Recycling Week, they were presented with a School Recycling Champion certificate to honour their achievements.  The City has a target of recycling 55% of household waste by 2020; but it is currently on around 34%.   There is a huge variance in rates across Liverpool, with some wards achieving over 50%, but others as low as 11%. Around 21,000 tonnes of recyclable items are wrongly placed in the purple bin every year.

The City Council has launched a number of projects to drive up rates, including:-

►  Bigger 90 litre recycling bags for 28,000 terraced properties.

►  Introducing recycling collections to 5,500 City Centre apartments.

►  Tackling contamination of recycling bins in terraced areas.

►  Knocking on doors and speaking to residents in areas with low recycling rates.

The Council's Cabinet recently gave the go ahead to a ₤6 million programme to tackle underlying issues with waste, litter and vermin in alleyways, which are also designed to make it easier for people to recycle. It will see a communal waste container placed in areas on black bin bag collections and areas with wheelie bins getting a collection from their back gate.  Councillor James Noakes, Cabinet member with responsibility for recycling, said:- "Our recycling rate has improved significantly over the last decade, but it is clear we still need to do much more to get it to where we want it to be. As well as being good for the environment, there is also a financial issue because every tonne of residual waste from the purple bins costs twice as much to treat as recyclable waste. This means an additional bill of around ₤1.2 million per year for Council tax payers; money we would much rather spend on frontline services. Getting young people to act as ambassadors and encourage behaviour change is a big part of our work, because we know they can be big influencers at home in getting mums and dads to do more. That is why we are continuing to find new ways to reach out to communities and support them to recycle, including getting Schools to do their bit; and it is brilliant that the pupils at Our Lady Immaculate have really embraced it."