Dr Timo Hannay, from SchoolDash, found high rates of poverty in provincial towns and cities that saw large death tolls in WWII.
The primary focus of the research was predominantly northern locations such as Tyneside, Liverpool and Hull. The study ultimately found what the researchers considered to be concerning results.
While London and its surrounding areas were some of the most negatively affected by the Blitz, but the South East has largely rebounded from wartime destruction. Industrial towns and cities in the North, however, are still deemed a long way from recovery, even 75 years on.
The deprived locations were found to have poverty rates much higher than the national average
The deprived locations were found to have poverty rates much higher than the national average, even surpassing averages of their respective areas of the country.
In contrast to less-affected areas, these show lower attainment among school children, lower academic progress up to the age of 16, and a low participation rate in higher education.
The research also compared the destruction to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The same deprived towns and cities struggle with high rates of infection and death.
While the study stresses that the 1940s bombings are not necessarily the cause of long-lasting deprivation, they point out a correlation between both.
Whether directly linked to the Blitz or not, the research has shown a clear disparity between northern and southern towns and cities’ funding and recovery.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
