Richard Gregory, director of Tech North, explains the barriers that are currently preventing the North of England from becoming the world’s next major tech cluster.
If you thought the North-South divide was old news, think again.
Figures published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank recently show that incomes in the Midlands, Wales and North of England remain no higher than they were in the South East of England two decades ago.
Most people have now heard of Silicon Roundabout and know about Shoreditch’s tech sector in East London. Less well known is that Silicon Roundabout’s success is being repeated across many cities and regions of this country, albeit on a smaller scale.
Tech growth in the North
This year’s Tech Nation report highlighted just how strong the North of England’s tech industry is becoming. It showed the number of digital tech economy jobs across the North stands at about 300,000, with almost 2,000 startups being born each year across the eight city clusters that Tech North works with....