Reader's letter

The recent report on the North-South gap is another reminder of the competitive disadvantage that Yorkshire suffers from in comparison to other regions in the UK, especially those in the South ('New report highlights North-South divide', April 10).

Published by Cardiff University, the report demonstrates that London and the South East are performing as well as the world's ten most competitive nations while Wales, north-east England and Yorkshire are ranked alongside countries such as Hungary and Chile.

For those of us in this region the future looks bleak unless the Government acts to re-adjust the economic imbalance. The continuance of the South-East's competitive advantage continues to act as a magnet for both firms and skilled individuals.

In the absence of any real mechanisms to help drive regional economies it is clear that regions such as Yorkshire need their own elected assemblies to determine their economic destinies. There needs to be regional solutions to regional problems and Mr Blair has to acknowledge that devolving some economic and political power to the regions will become a political necessity.

Failure to do so will mean severe repercussions in Labour's heartlands in the next election and continued deprivation and misery for the people that live there.

Jane Thomas,

Director, Campaign for Yorkshire and the Humber,

Peckover Street, Bradford.

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