Ten leaders and mayors of Core Cities UK, the ‘Core Cities Cabinet’, met with William Hague MP, chair of The Cabinet Committee for Devolved Powers, to discuss a plan to drive forward devolution to the UK’s cities. The Core Cities Cabinet demanded that devolution to the UK’s cities is delivered in the same time frame as Scottish devolution.
- (From left to right): Rt Hon William Hague MP, First Secretary of State, Leader of the House and Chair of the Cabinet Committee for Devolved Powers, Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson, Cllr Ann O’Byrne (Liverpool), Leader of Cardiff City Council Cllr Phil Bale, Leader of Birmingham City Council Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Manchester City Council Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Newcastle City Council Cllr Nick Forbes, Leader of Leeds City Council Cllr Keith Wakefield, Leader of Nottingham City Council Cllr Jon Collins.
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council and Chair of Core Cities UK said: “A programme of devolution for Scotland has been set out, but the national agenda for devolution is simply not radical enough. The devolution we need has to be at the level of the city and even the neighbourhood. Any legislation must make provision for the whole of the UK, and specifically for its cities. Although the timing should not restrict the promises to Scotland being delivered, we would like to see this within the same time frame for the whole of the UK. That is why we are pleased the Government is taking notice as in an increasingly competitive global economy, the UK’s big cities are Britain’s best bet.”
Jon Collins, Leader of Nottingham City Council and Core Cities UK Cabinet member for Growth said: “Greater freedom to decide how to spend the money generated in our cities would help the Core Cities meet their target of outperforming the national economy, and becoming financially self-sustaining. Independent forecasts demonstrate that, for the eight English Core Cities alone, this could mean an additional £222 billion and 1.3 million jobs for the country by 2030. That is like adding the entire economy of Denmark to the UK and with Glasgow and Cardiff on side, it will be even more. More jobs and growth, more investment for housing and transport, better skills in the labour market and more support for business, in short, unlocking the massive unused potential of our cities.”
Cllr Nick Forbes, leader of Newcastle City Council, and Core Cities UK Cabinet Member for public service reform, added: “Today’s discussions are a sign that the argument for city devolution continues to gain ground among decision-makers in Westminster. We are a growing voice that the Government would be wrong to ignore. Our cities are essential growth hubs but, like big cities the world over, they are also home to large numbers of people reliant on public services. With greater freedoms we can reform public services, integrating them at the point of delivery, saving money, improving people’s lives and getting more people into training and employment.”
Core Cities’ urban areas deliver 28% of the English, Welsh and Scottish economies combined and are home to 19 million, yet they underperform by the standards set by international competitors. This is because, currently, cities only retain about 5% of the total tax base raised in them which is damaging their economic potential. According to the OECD, the level of taxes managed at the local or regional level is about 10 times greater in Canada, 7.5 in the US, 7 in Sweden, almost 6 in Germany, and over 5 times greater across the OECD on average.
The Core Cities UK recently released a Growth Prospectus.