ABSTRACT
Several trends in concentration between 1979 and 2007 were the result of structural shifts in Britain’s economy and broader society. Patterns of ownership, for instance, fundamentally changed during this period. Privatisation and other schemes such as Right to Buy meant that capital in Britain was increasingly privately owned compared with previous eras where the state had dominated. The British economy came to look very different during this time as it shifted towards services and, notably, the rise of industries such as finance. As in other sections of this book, the changes happened against the background of globalisation. These factors contributed to increasing regional inequality, whereby wealth and growth sectors were increasingly centred in South East England. This had implications for skills and regional mobility, further encouraging concentration of wealth.
