Luton is a large pocket of deprivation in an otherwise-affluent region. It has a heritage of industrial production, which has now largely gone (think Electrolux, SKF, Commer/Karrier, Bedford Trucks, Whitbread, and of course Vauxhall which employed over 25,000 in its heyday), but the housing remains and the population need employment. As wages rise nationally, the trend will eventually reach Luton, to the benefit of all employees.