Should we worry about regional inequality?

The problem in Scotland, is, after all, not as marked as in England. Here , the gap between areas of relative wealth and poverty is around a third, at its widest. Average gross disposable income in Aberdeen and Edinburgh is around 35% higher than in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire.

Some rich areas of London, for the purposes of comparison, have a figure two and a half times higher than that of poorer parts of England. The gross disposable income of Westminster residents is almost four times that of people in Leicester.

But it would be complacent to argue that this means we needn't worry. For a start, England sits at the level of some of the world's most unequal countries, including the USA, Chile and Israel. We would do well not to congratulate ourselves too much on delivering more egalitarian outcomes than the highly distorted economy of our near neighbours. Meanwhile there is much less variation across Norway, for instance than in Scotland.

Such measures are always only partial, of course. Averages disguise a range of local extremes and there are particular problems with the exclusion faced by those on low incomes in affluent areas of the country.

There are other measures of inequality, too, such as the difference between the income of the best off and the worst off, which we know is widening. Then there are other types of inequality apart from the purely financial, such as health inequalities and educational inequalities in terms of both outcomes and access to learning.

But, as evidenced in work by Scotland's Improvement Service, such measures often tell us the same thing. In fact all types of inequality tend to be clustered, with low income correlating strongly with poor health and poorer exam results, for example.

Geographical pockets of poverty are surprisingly difficult to address and the way in which social deficits are clustered is part of the problem. Tackling one factor alone, the body says, is unlikely to be successful.

Regional differences in income are another sign of the gulf in opportunity that exists within Scotland, and need to be addressed.

The Westminster Government has started to focus on this issue in England, although the commitment to a 'Northern powerhouse' is more rhetorical than practical thus far. Nevertheless, it might begin disperse economic power from London and create a rival centre of wealth creation.

But the Conservative government is, at the same time, doing away with targets for reducing child poverty. Through aggressive cuts to welfare budgets, it appears to have made matters worse, and George Osborne is set to further entrench the process in this week's budget.

Welfare changes designed to urge more claimants into work, simply will not work in an economy driven by low wages.

The Scottish Government, although pledged to create a more equal society, lacks a clear regional development policy. But there is clear evidence that one is needed. Unlike that being pursued south of the border, it needs to be coherent and as comprehensive as possible, within the limits of the powers available.