user I agree that academic jobs are definitely different than some other jobs - part of that is the problem of the job though, you can't just rock up at the local uni and expect there to be a lecturing post in your extremely niche area, jobs in your academic discipline are rare, have to be at the right level (so professorships really rare, teaching fellows not so much) and may even be only available internationally or every few years. It really isn't the same as, say, being a GP or a teacher where if you hang out in that local area for long enough, you will probably find work. So, the options to move are fewer than for some other professions, and probably more similar to jobs like certain types of law or being a diplomat where you have less flexibility to move, and end up with a trailing spouse.
That said, most of the academics I know do not have trailing spouses but tend to a) have other academics as their partners, this can work very well if they have no children and can travel/work as they want, or are older/have older children and freedom, I think it works less well when there is a senior male and a younger female who then ends up doing the bulk of childcare and scuppering their prospects just a time they need to be moving forward b) partners who are not in the academic world at all but either are happy to work from home (and move internationally, most academics I work with are not from the UK) e.g. as a consultant, or even not work that much at all. The worst pairing is ambitious academic and reasonably ambitious other professional tied to an area for work- because that leads to very tricky negotiations over who is going to take precedence, and often men win at the family stage, although I've noticed lately lots of the female profs/more senior women I know making bolder moves later in life once the children have left home, like to China, or setting up new institutes and so on.
I also agree the system is very old-fashioned and expects a kind of dependent spouse picking up the pieces type model- so I don't apply to certain types of fellowship as they always demand international sabbaticals of three months or more and I don't want to leave the country for three months or more (although I have friends who do and take the kids). We don't have spousal hire in the UK either, so if both parties are academics, every time one moves, the other may end up staying, so you end up with lots of LATS (Living Apart Togethers). I know lots of academics who live separately in the week, or even in the term and get back together on weekends/holidays.
I can see being the partner of an academic is very annoying. My husband told me he would move anywhere in the world to help my career, which I greatly appreciate. I didn't take him up on it as I like to stay close to home. I don't think the OP is being unreasonable in saying Midlands and North (if it is that wide) as a general region for job hunting as that's a lot of unis, but basically, the more flexible and international you are, the quicker and better the jobs will be- and however unfair this is, that's the case. I know I could be promoted immediately by moving institution, I choose not to as I like it where I am.