The
Trade and Industry Secretary is calling for an active regional industrial
strategy in response to new figures on regional GDP.
Annual
GDP growth for the UK was 3.8 per cent in 1999 with the South-East having the
highest growth at 5.1 per cent, according to the Office of National Statistics.
The lowest was the North-East at 2.3 per cent.
GDP
per head in London was 30 per cent higher than the UK average, and for all
regions it was above £10,000 for the first time.
Stephen
Byers said, “It is clear that there are unacceptably wide economic gaps between
regions. The challenge for government is to put in place the measures that will
allow every region to prosper.”
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