Core Cities set out post-Brexit, place-based agenda for change

The UK’s 10 biggest cities have called on the government to focus on inclusive growth and devolve more powers to help make the country stronger for Brexit.

The Core Cities group today published the final version of its green paper, entitled Invest Reform Trust, which calls on Whitehall to take a more localised approach to policy in order to build a stronger and fairer Britain.

The report claims devolving powers and boosting the productivity of the ten cities in the group could help boost the national economy by £70-£90bn a year.

It calls for a dialogue between local and central government on plans around Brexit and a new settlement, which sees power passing to local communities, allowing cities to take back control of service provision and help rebalance the economy.

The report recommends inclusive growth be placed at the heart of a ‘place-based industrial strategy’, with each Whitehall department committing to a place-based strategy of its own.

It wants a change in mindset around public policy, from deficit to asset, and from cost to investment.

‘We need to start seeing cities, and particularly their people and communities, as our greatest assets to be invested in, understanding the returns that they will bring for society and the economy,’ the report states.

‘However, it is right to expect cities and their partners to articulate and demonstrate what these returns on investment would be.’

It recommends bespoke city housing deals in order to increase the supply, quality and energy efficiency of new homes, as well as local energy companies, and calls for new smart technology to be piloted to improve infrastructure and city centre management.

The paper proposes that cities play a bigger role in boosting the UK’s international trading links, given the importance of city-to-city relationships in boosting trade and investment.

And it calls for a new partnership with the Department for International Trade to develop an Urban Trade programme across the UK’s cities and more of a role for cities in trade missions.

‘Our green paper report is about how we as cities can help deliver for the nation. Government needs to enter into a dialogue with city leaders about making a success of Brexit,’ said Core Cities group chair and Leeds council leader, Judith Blake.

‘The process of leaving the EU is an opportunity to rethink the balance of power between the national and the local, allowing communities to take back control of service provision in their areas and help support growth across the UK.

‘Core Cities have demonstrated through devolution that they can deliver, and the international evidence backs up the fact that increasing local control boosts productivity, which will be critical to the UK’s post-Brexit economic success and the delivery of more inclusive growth across the UK,’ she added.