MNHQ here: The Treasury Select Committee wants to hear from people who have recently moved between regions/nations in the UK

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

The Treasury Select Committee is looking for contributions to one of their inquiries - here's what they say below.

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Hello

The Treasury Select Committee at the House of Commons is looking to hear from those who have recently moved between regions/nations in the UK. It also wants to hear from those who want to move regions but can’t.

Your contributions will inform an inquiry being held by the Committee on regional imbalances.

More information can be found here:
www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/treasury-committee/inquiries1/parliament-2017/inquiry7/

For those who have recently moved

Between which regions / nations have you moved? (regions/nations being Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the regions within England: North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, Greater London, South East, and South West).

What is the reason for your move?

Have you experienced significant or surprising differences in any of the following when you moved?

• Employment opportunities available to you and/or your family
• Quality of schools
• Quality of healthcare
• Safety of your neighbourhood
• Cleanliness of neighbourhood
• Transport connections
• Air quality
• Proximity to places where you enjoy spending time
• Proximity to friends and family

Are you happier with your new neighbourhood? How have any of the factors above played a part in your happiness / unhappiness with your new region?

For those who want to move but can’t

What is stopping you from moving?

What can be done to make your area a better place for you, particularly in terms of the factors above?

Edited to explain the survey If you wish, you can also complete this survey which aims to gauge people’s experiences of where they currently live: forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nt3mHDeziEC-Xo277ASzSjmyhv4Lz8tPuToBKZcY2O9UMkZQMzdMQlRSRE9FWUZRNFNKMUdSOTY1US4u

Many thanks,
The Treasury Select Committee

It's not for me to tell MNHQ how to do their job (well, not without pay) but maybe this could be pinned ?

@ProfessorSlocombe

It's not for me to tell MNHQ how to do their job (well, not without pay) but maybe this could be pinned ?

Hi,

Thanks for reading and commenting ProfessorSlocombe, I've just pinned this in Active, chat and a few other topics.

What a strange survey. It asked me all about where I live now but didn’t ask me to compare it to the region I have recently moved from, or why I moved. That’s not in line with what the opening post says this is about.

I moved from Manchester to West Yorkshire reasonably recently.
It's a mixed bag. I'm closer to family but further from friends. Transport is good but not as good I take back all my complaints about the Metrolink
Housing costs are not too dissimilar as I lived in a suburban area previously although Manchester prices are rising more quickly. Air quality is probably a bit better here? I've not massively noticed.
I have a profession which means I'm reasonably employable wherever so hard to judge but seems to be plenty of jobs going when I was looking.

Yes, the survey does seem to be at odds with the OP

And why do I have suspicions as to its motives?

The survey and the write up do not match up

What are your suspicions @prettybird?

It just seems very convenient that this survey is being done at a time that the "benefits" of the Union are under scrutiny - and the fact that they don't actually ask why you moved and where you were before makes it look more like an information gathering exercise for analysis of the differing? values and priorities in different regions (or countries )

@prettybirdthis is a select committee survey not a government survey. Select Committees are cross party bodies that cannot make policy but can scrutinise government policy and recommend improvements. They operate by gathering information and interviewing experts before publishing a report. The government then have to respond with why they accept or reject the recommendations. V little to get suspicious about.

Highly disingenuous description by the Treasury as to the questionnaire.

There is, however a free text box to fill in anything else.

I was not asked where I have moved from etc.

Of course, I know that Select Committees are cross party

But on the other hand, WM is institutionally Unionist (eg SNP MPs number only 35 out of 650), so just because it's a cross party select committee doesn't mean it doesn't have an institutional bias. Especially when the descriptor of the reasons for the information gathering exercise is so at odds with the survey that has been put together - and I'm not the only one to have pointed that out

I do think that it's probably unintentional and possibly just sloppy design of the survey , but with the current strains on the Union, it's not helpful.

I agree that the survey doesn't match the description very well, although I doubt there's an ulterior motive. (I also don't think it should be a surprise to anyone that the parliament of a Union of nations like the UK would be primarily unionist - it's hardly going to be mainly made up of MPs seeking it's abolition!)

How recently? We did, but 4 years ago.

Hello,

Sorry for the confusion - the survey is in addition to the forum discussion. It asks different questions to this discussion and aims to gauge people's experiences of the area they currently live in. I'll also edit the OP to make this clear.

Thanks for your comments and apologies again!

@MimsyBorogroves

How recently? We did, but 4 years ago.

Hi,

I've checked and 4 years ago is fine

Between which regions / nations have you moved?

From Greater London to the South East

What is the reason for your move?

Work/new job

Have you experienced significant or surprising differences in any of the following when you moved?

• Employment opportunities available to you and/or your family
• Quality of schools the new area is a grammar school area. The primaries are fine. The secondaries are either Grammars or they are failing. This was a shock
• Quality of healthcare both my children have significant health issues, the length of time referrals to local specialists took was a surprise. The difference in support/provision available was also a surprise
• Safety of your neighbourhood new area feels generally safer
• Cleanliness of neighbourhood
• Transport connections moving away from Greater London we have significantly worse transport
• Air quality air quality is much better, insterestinglu hayfever is worse
• Proximity to places where you enjoy spending time living in a town rather than a city we now have to travel further for leisure activities
• Proximity to friends and family

Are you happier with your new neighbourhood? How have any of the factors above played a part in your happiness / unhappiness with your new region?
Much happier. Mainly because cheaper housing means we can afford a nicer, safer area. Related to this we also have a significantly smaller commute and so a better work-life balance