Why George Osborne is wrong about the north-south divide

For Britain's industrial areas, recovery is patchier, with weaker jobs growth and less infrastructure spending. The evidence says we never have been in it together

Hartlepool has seen better days. Its port was used to transport coal from the Durham coalfields and manufacturing thrived on the Tees estuary.

Heavy industry is still important, although there is less than there was. The council has ambitious plans for regeneration. On the waterfront, there is evidence of previous attempts to turn the town's fortunes around. The empty office blocks and the shuttered outlet centre show these have not been entirely successful.