Welcome to NERIP’s new online State of the Region. The State of the Region is designed to be an up to date resource that provides both data and analysis on key regional indicators.
The State of the region - Summary
In terms of economic prosperity the North East is currently going through a very challenging period. The full impact of the global recession is not yet clear for the region, as much data covering the period is not currently available, however what the evidence does show is that the region was in an increasingly strong position leading up to the economic downturn.
Over the last ten years the North East has experienced increased levels of business stock as well as increased levels of gross value added (GVA) and increased spend on research and development. Despite these improvements the region still performs relatively poorly compared to other regions, however evidence from the purchasing managers index suggests that the severity of the recession is similar in the North East as it is elsewhere in the country. For more information and analysis on more contemporary economic information please refer to One North East’s economy update.
The recession not only has an impact on businesses and the broader economy but also on the workforce itself. Over the long-term, employment levels have increased in the region and unemployment has decreased. However there are some statistics that already reveal that the recession has impacted heavily on the North East labour market. Claimant unemployment shows that in February 2009 the North East claimant count reached 7.1% and that remained the rate as recently as December 2009. However in January 2010 the claimant count in the North East increased to 7.5% - a similar increase occurred nationally. On a more positive note, the region's workforce has become increasingly skilled in recent years, the population is increasing and in the short-term the size of our working age population is also projected to increase. Increasing life expectancy will lead to an ageing population with a higher proportion of over 65s, and the region will need to consider the implications of this for services and for the labour market.
Despite the challenges faced in the regional economy and labour market the region still maintains a high quality of life for its residents. The crime rate in the North East is lower than the national average and proportionally, the North East has lower rates of violent crime, burglary, fraud and drug offences compared with the rest of the UK. The region has above average numbers of police officers, a lower than average fear of crime and amongst the highest levels of confidence in police performance and the criminal justice system (CJS) in the UK. All of which contribute to a higher quality of place in the region. Crime rates are not unaffected by recession, however, and there is evidence to suggest that certain crimes do increase during corresponding increase in unemployment. The extent to which this recession has impacted levels of crime will not be apparent untill the next set of crime figures are released, but with comparatively high numbers of police officers and high confidence in the CJS the North East is in a strong position to deal with a temporary rise in crime.
The region’s vibrant cultural environment makes it attractive to tourists and investors as well as an enjoyable place to live.
Trends in the health of the population suggest that whilst there are still areas for concern compared to other regions, people are becoming healthier. Levels of cancer and coronary heart disease are falling slightly faster than the national average, whilst life expectancy is growing at about the national rate. However, smoking is more prevalent in the North East than in the other English regions and there is little evidence to suggest that the proportion of the population who smoke in the region is falling. The region also has the lowest house prices in the country; this may be positive news for some first time buyers but in actual fact is a reflection that there are concentrations of high deprivation in the region and a reminder that high quality of life is not evident in every area of the North East.
Finally, in addition to those quality of life indicators already mentioned, evidence suggests that the region performs strongly on many environmental indicators, The North East has a unique natural environment and one which makes the region an attractive place to visit, live and work. Performing well against other regions in the UK is only one measure, however, and there is room for improvement if the region is to operate within its environmental limits. Whilst the region has a high quality and varied environment it must deal with the challenge of sustainability and consider the environmental impact of striving for a more prosperous economy.
The North East's recent history shows that whilst the region continues to perform at the lower end of the spectrum compared to elsewhere in the UK, there has been evidence of a prolonged improvement across various economic, social and environmental indicators.
Evidence already shows that the current recession has caused unemployment to increase but the long-term implications have yet to be fully realised. However, what we do know is that in terms of rising to the challenges presented by the economic downturn the region is in a stronger position to weather the storm than for many years.
What to expect from the online State of the Region
Executive Summary
Above you will find an executive summary which provides an overview of the key headlines that can be found throughout the state of the region.
Section Summaries
From the State of the Region home page you can access the four headline sections (Business, People, Place and Environment - you'll find these in the top right hand corner of this page). Each of these contains an overview summary of that particular theme.
Chapters
The chapters themselves can be accessed in the top right hand corner of the section summary - to read the chapter simply select the relevant heading.
In the chapters there is analysis and charts that are based around key indicators.
Each chart has a data download function that enables the user to save the data behind the chart as an excel file.
The data, charts and text are updated whenever new data becomes available. We will shortly be adding a what’s new section to enable the user to identify which chapters have been updated.
Links
At the bottom of each chapter there are a series of links. These links will take you to relevant websites or pieces of research which support the quantitative information found in the State of the Region.
Print out
If a hard copy version of any chapter is required, there is a download to PDF function at the top of every page which will create a PDF version of the chapter or summary that can be easily printed.
Archive
Earlier versions of each chapter will be archived and are available on request.
NERIP would like to thank the following organisations for their contribution to the online State of the Region:
Association of North East Councils
Environment Agency
Government Office for the North East
Learning and Skills Council
Natural England
North East Public Health Observatory
Northumbria Police
One North East