yorkshiremen are(traditionally) known for being tight.(ahem!careful with their money!)just like the scottish.....and look at the prices in scotland for window cleaning. 
Its all down to history, you get a massive employer go under and every man and his dog grabs a bucket and ladder,
suddenly it becomes a customers market which very rarely recovers even after all the jobs are replaced.
Window cleaning is the same countrywide, customers will pay what they need to pay can afford to pay or do without,
the ones who get pleasure in making our lives easier at their own expense are few and far between.