Southern England hit hardest by recession

This does not surprise me at all. After all the south has more people and have a more affluent life style. While in the North they have had it harder no matter what state the country is in. Always with the highest unemployment, always with poorer standard of life. So no surprise to me.
So the details.
A total of 2.9 million people in the North had more than £30,000 in liquid assets in 2007, falling to 2.5 million by the end of 2008, and recovering slightly to 2.7 million by the end of 2009, according to figures recently published.
It compares with five million people in the South with more than £30,000 in liquid assets in 2007, which dropped to 4.1 million by the end of 2008, before recovering to 4.5 million by the end of 2009.
So the south is “richer” in terms of the relative size of its affluent population compared with the north, this population has taken more of a beating during the economic downturn, contracting more sharply than the affluent population in the north.
It comes as separate research suggested hairdressers, gardeners and taxi drivers are the professions worst hit by the recession. Workers who provide these services - which people are likely to cut back on during a recession are the hardest hit.