Is the UK too London centric?

There have been some attempts to 'share the wealth' that London enjoys, in terms of its monopoly on government, media and finance. The BBC moved some key infrastructure to Salford (a small city adjacent to Manchester) and the Media City site there has been joined by other broadcasters, such as ITV. There have also been attempts to move parts of the civil service outside of London. The Drivers and Vehicle Licensing department has long been based in Wales, very far from London, but recent plans to move civil servants out of Whitehall is set to send them to Canary Wharf or Croydon, both very much in London, if not central London.

Many argue that 'Stalinist' attempts to reshape the country's infrastuctre will only damage the insititutions taht get exiled from london, given that ease of access makes it much more practical for branches of government or the media to work together adn interact. But for such a physically small country, some may find it odd that such interaction is only possible within a ten square mile area.

There are suggestions that the planned HS2 High Speed rail link will allow this devolution of companies and institutions from London, by reducing travel times out of the capital. However, experts suggest that the travel link will mot likely work in reverse, acting as a brain drain on cities in the north of England as they are drawn into London, where all the work and contacts and excitement is.

Whatever way its approached, ending the London-centricity of England, and the UK as a whoe, will be adifficult nut to crack.