A national symposium got underway this week at Leeds Civic Hall following the publication of a new report into regional inequalities in the UK.

The key conclusions are stark. According to the first report of the UK2070 Commission into city and regional inequalities in the UK Fairer and Stronger – Rebalancing the UK Economy ‘the regional inequalities which blight economic performance and life chances in the UK may become significantly worse unless drastic action is taken'.