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University for Cumbria - will it halt the brain drain?
The University of Cumbria is expected to be a reality within a year and according to Cllr Stoddard of Cumbria County Council will "stop the brain drain from the county." I wish this could be the case, however as usual anything new is treated as a panacea for all ills. Again I fear that this will not be so.
- Yes, we welcome the University for Cumbria and with Cllr Stoddard will shout it from the roof tops once it happens.
- Yes, it might go some way to stopping the brain drain from the county
- But no, it will not reverse any major trend to the brain drain!
Why won't a University for Cumbria stop the brain drain?
Expecting the University for Cumbria to reverse a "Brain Drain" shows both a misunderstanding of the situartion and another example of thought and process that goes against all the hype of "Joined up Thinking" which our politicians and leaders are supposed to be applying in the way they plan and manage our infrastructure and economy.
I welcome the news about the University for Cumbria because it will hopefully mean that we do not have to send people large distances for up-skilling and training in our Hi Tec sphere of operations; having said that, it is sometimes much quicker to get to Salford University than it is to travel up the west coast or to Carlisle or it at least takes the same amount of time to get there.
So yes we need a University. Having said that I am left wondering why Lancaster and Central Lancashire universities who have had a presence in the County for some time have done little to address the situation long before now.
As to the Brain Drain!
Bright young graduates leave the county for many reasons, not least of those being the other problems we must address quickly, and they are
- Well paid jobs
- Affordable housing
- Experience
Well Paid Jobs and experience: Graduates will often leave their local area to take jobs in the big corporates few of whom reside in Cumbria. Another reason is usually to gain experience of working with city firms, again we have a shortage in the county of such business entities for they cluster in areas like Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle. Moving also gives them a wage which is probably much higher than they could expect back here in the sticks.
Finally, we come to the big cruncher Affordable Housing.
Our young people have been leaving Cumbria in droves for ages, it is not a recent phenomenon; apart form going away to find better jobs with higher salaries the other aspects have been the opportunities to buy or rent homes.
Our local housing has been priced way outside the bounds of numerous young people who are trying to set up a home. This is more acute if you happen to live in a rural area.
There is little point having a job locally if you can't find anywhere to live, or even if you can find somewhere to live you find it is still out of your price bracket. Private landlords want a return on capital and that means "Market Rates."
When Thatcher gave millions the right to buy their Council Homes at vastly discounted prices we lost our housing stock. In the south of England and in other areas which have faired will home owners are looking to buy holiday homes taking local stock from local people by pushing up prices. Rented accommodation in rural Cumbria can often cost more than a mortgage, leaving the tenant unable to save for their own house once they have paid the rent.
Private developers may be building houses for rent or which might (perhaps laughingly) be called affordable homes, the truth is that they are still out of the reach of so many of our local people – of all ages. Don't forget as old industries collapse older people need retraining and with that can be a need for a house move if salaries are adversly affected.
Add to this the drive to get home owners or wealthy individuals buying housing as an investment and for letting again has driven the prices up both in the buying and renting sectors because huge swathes of the county have major restrictions on where and how you can build a home.
My Message to the powers that be
Our message to those who are tasked to deliver economic and social well being in the county of Cumbria is – Get your Act together!
If we are to reverse the trend of economic decline we must have a concerted effort to address the following at the same time, not on a piece meal basis.
- Affordable Housing to buy or rent
- More money into setting up high technology firms
- Higher Education
- Jobs with good salaries
The University for Cumbria will help, but as you can see, it is not critical or the only factor to the county's success. It's one tool in the box, there are others probably more important.
What do you think?
