Economic Futures in the UK

Question 1

Causes of Economic Change in the UK

Answer 1

• Increasing production costs
• Low wage NEEs
• Changing government policies
• Declining coal reserves
• Government turned many UK primary and secondary industries private.
• Fishing limted by EU
• £5 billion into high-tech research in 2015
• Strict environmental protection laws

Question 2

Post-Industrial Economy in the UK

Answer 2

• Information Technology - Store, process and use data to help businesses and governments.
• Service Industries - Provide goods.
• Finance - Provide financial services.
• Research - R&D, ideas are turned into workable products.
• Science and Business Parks - Areas of offices and workhouses on the edge of cities and on main roads. Often near universities, research may be carried out with them.
• Characteristics: Can locate for cost advantage as no materials; Close to transport routes for access; Dependent on human resources; Highly educated workforce; Sustainable; Group together (agglomeration).

Question 3

Torr Quarry

Answer 3

• 1 of 8 limestone quarries in Somerset. Limestone for road building, high importance buildings, treating toxic waste and contamination.
• Contributes £15 million to the local economy annually
• Employs over 100 people
• Quarries are restored to nature reserves
• Monitoring of noise, vibration, air emissions and water quality
• Heavy machinery and explosives cause noise and air pollution
• Release chemicals into the air, causing health problems

Question 4

South Cambridgeshire

Answer 4

• Causes of Population Growth
  1. Migration to the area after retirement
  2. Registration for migrants increased by 25% from 2012 to 2013
  3. Migrants from Eastern Europe
  4. Population will grow from 150,000 to 182,000 in 2050
• Impacts of Population Growth
  1. More of people of a working age
  2. More people paying taxes
  3. More services
  4. More people spending money in the local area
  5. Improved local economy

Question 5

Outer Hebrides

Answer 5

• Causes of Population Decline
  1. Students leave
  2. Lack of job opportunities
  3. Ageing population above working age
  4. 1901 46,000 people, now 23,000
• Impacts of Population Decline
  1. Less people spending money on the local area
  2. Worse local economy
  3. Less people of a working age
  4. Less people paying taxes
  5. Less services

Question 6

Road Improvements in the UK

Answer 6

• 100 New road schemes
• 1300 new lane miles added to major roads and motorways
• Smart motorways reduce congestion
• Improve 50% of junctions on the M25
• A1 dual carriageway London - Ellingham (Newcastle)

Question 7

Railway Improvements in the UK

Answer 7

• Electrification of Trans-Pennine Expressway in 2020
• HS2 connecting London, Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester worth £50 Billion
• Crossrail for South East London and the South East. Reading-Heathrow and Shenfield-Abbey Wood

Question 8

Seaport Improvements in the UK

Answer 8

• 32 million passengers annually
• Employs 120,000 people
• Largest port industry in Europe
• Liverpool 2 £300 million container terminal

Question 9

Air Travel Improvements in the UK

Answer 9

• Employs 300,000 people
• 2 million tonnes of freight annually
• 750,000 flights annually
• Third runway at Heathrow

Question 10

Causes of the North-South Divide in the UK

Answer 10

• UK’s growth centred on coalfields in Northern England and Scotland in the Industrial Revolution
• Heavy industries and engineering thrived in Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester and Glasgow
• Since 1970s, industry has declined due to competition and loss of resources, unemployment has risen in the North
• London and the South East had a rapidly growing tertiary sector.

Question 11

Strategies to resolve the North-South Divide in the UK

Answer 11

• Government incentives to attract development, such as Mitsubishi in Edinburgh (1975) and Nissan in Tyne and Wear (1984)
• Planned transport improvements
• ‘Northern Powerhouse’ encourages industrial and infrastructural developments in the North
• Enterprise Zones to encourage new businesses to set up in the North, superfast broadband and simple planning regulations
• Local Enterprise Partnerships, voluntary partnerships between local authorities and businesses to encourage development and investment. Lancashire’s LEP on aerospace

Question 12

UK and the Wider World

Answer 12

1. Trade
   * Main trading partnerships with EU, USA and China
   * Germany main import and USA main export
   * Post-Brexit means more trades with India, China and USA
2. Transport
   * Large airports and major ports
   * Mainland Europe links via the Channel Tunnel
   * Ferries and Cruises from Southampton and Dover
3. Culture
   * Television major economic industry (1.25 million annually)
   * Migration has brough culture
   * Television, music, film, arts
4. Electric Communications
   * 40% of the World has internet, 90% in the UK (2014)
   * Submarine cables link the UK to USA, Europe hold 99% of internet traffic
   * Artic fibre completing in 2026 15,000 km of cables from London to Tokyo

Question 13

Economic and Political Links

Answer 13

• Left the EU on 31st January 2020
  1. No more free movement of labour in europe
  2. European funds no longer support regional development in the UK
  3. Migrants no longer come to work in primary and secondary industries
  4. Single Payment Scheme no longer supports farmers
• Holds strong connections to former colonies through the Commonwealth
• Strong cultural links due to movement of people
• Commonwealth Games