Half UK budget deficit 'is down to job destruction in older industrial areas'
by Larry Elliott Economics editor from on (#20PXC)
Report finds that legacy of hollowing-out of manufacturing in 1980s is far more people claiming incapacity benefits
The enduring impact of closing factories and shutting coalmines in the 1980s has been revealed in new research showing that the drain on the exchequer from former industrial areas is responsible for up to half the government's 55bn budget deficit.
Related: The legacy of leaving old industrial Britain to rot is becoming clear | Larry Elliott
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