'Happy poverty' of North shown to be a myth

Research has suggested that northerners are "poor but happy" when compared to people in the South. But now the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Tony Blair's favourite think-tank, has given the Prime Minister food for thought when he compares the lives of his Sedgefield constituents with those of Londoners.

"Those who claim that the North may be poorer but is generally happier would seem to be profoundly misguided," according to the institute's study.

Its researchers studied a range of factors and found that the north-south economic divide was compounded by a regional gap on health, mental health and mortality rates.

The report says: "Self-reported health is strongly related to happiness. With the exception of reasonably high levels in Wales, the expected pattern of regional disparities is largely confirmed, with people in the North less likely to report a good state of general health than those in the South."

There are also "extreme regional disparities" in death rates. "Put bluntly, people in the North die earlier than people in the south," says the study. It found another broad north-south divide over the number of people suffering from depression. "Levels of depression for men in the Northern and Yorkshire and North-west [NHS] regions were three-fifths higher than for the North Thames region and absolute differences for women were even higher," says the study.

The IPPR says its findings underline problems caused by low employment in the North. It says seven factors significantly affect happiness: income, work, private life, community, health, freedom and philosophy of life.

While the report welcomes the Government's drive to reduce the gap in economic growth rates between the regions, it says ministers should go further by aiming to end actual disparities.

Prosperous regions such as the South-east should bear more of the costs needed to deal with "the problems of success," says the report. "Worrying about whether London drives the UK economy or vice-versa is pointless. The housing and transport needs of the greater South-east should be addressed, but this should be paid for in the region."