Belfast, Hull and Liverpool to be hit hardest by recession
The Centre for Cities charity has warned that all cities will feel recession bite this year but Belfast, Hull and Liverpool could be hit the hardest.
In a report called ‘Cities Outlook 2009‘, published today, the think tank said the three cities have high numbers of ‘unemployed and unqualified residents‘.
Meanwhile, ‘stronger’ cities were primarily in the South East, namely Cambridge, Oxford and Reading, since the review described the cities as having ‘highly qualified workforces’.
Research from the think tank established that Cambridge had the lowest increase in people on Jobseeker’s Allowance last year, while Hull experienced the highest increase.
Official figures on Friday confirmed that the UK is in recession after Gross Domestic Product fell by 1.5% in the fourth quarter of last year, following a 0.6% contraction in the three months prior to that.
In the meantime, shadow business secretary Ken Clarke, told the BBC that he believes recovery from the recession could take years.
Mr Clarke, who returned to the Conservative frontbench last week after a decade on the backbenches, criticised the Labour Government for failing to get to grips with the financial crisis.
In Labour’s defence, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham told the BBC that opposition politicians and commentators must be cautious about what they say and not talk down the economy.
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