When I recently catalogued the short-list of successes and long-list of failings of the Blair-era, I omitted one major development: the widening of the wealth gap.
I wrote last month about an excellent report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on immigration. Their latest report on the wealth gap makes clear just how the scale of the problem has grown, particularly under a Labour leadership, whose very origins as a Party were based on the idea of reducing and eliminating such problems.
Here are some of the key findings:
- The number of “poor” households has risen significantly over the last 15 years
- The poorest city dwellers have remained in the city as richer ones have moved out to the suburbs
- Rich and poor have become more separate, creating ghettos of deprivation
What this really means is that political parties of all colours really need to plan more astutely for how they will address these problems. A recent discussion on this blog on the subject of grammar schools made clear just how difficult these issues are to address.
We look forward to seeing what Stephen Dorrell’s policy review group, which is looking into this area, will have to say on the subject but it is something which the Labour administration should turn its attention now or feel ashamed.
