A 'Cities Paper' published alongside the budget by the Treasury, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) confirms the economic and social revival made by England's major towns and cities since 1997. However, challenges remain to strengthen and widen the urban renaissance.
The paper builds on the independent State of the English Cities Report published earlier this month, which revealed that major cities in the South East are facing fewer economic and social challenges, less deprivation, have better all-round health profiles, lower segregation of minority ethnic groups, higher rates of social cohesion and higher employment levels.
For example:
- Productivity exceeded the English average (1996 - 2001) in many places in the South East including Reading.
- Reading, Aldershot, Oxford, Worthing and Crawley are included in the top ten places in terms of disposable income.
- Reading, along with Oxford, has a proportion of graduate residents above the national average. This is considered to be an indicator of good employment opportunities.
The Deputy Prime Minister said:
"Our major towns and cities have made remarkable progress in recent years. The years of decline have been overcome as a result of record investment combined with strong economic growth and stability.
"The message of the State of the English Cities Report and the 'Cities Paper' is that our cities are back as successful places to live and work. However, challenges remain to make our cities even better. We need to build on this progress to deliver rising prosperity in all our cities and regions, and opportunity for all."
The 'Cities Paper', entitled Devolving decision-making: 3 - Meeting the regional economic challenge: The Importance of Cities to Regional Growth, highlights the importance of cities as drivers of growth within regions. It argues that the best approach to lifting regional and national growth is to devolve decision making to the most appropriate level. The paper also stresses the value of cities and regions working together across administrative boundaries as 'city regions' to raise economic productivity.
The 'Cities Paper' is part of a wider programme to strengthen the urban renaissance in the context of the work being done in the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007. The Government is already working with a range of cities across the country, including the eight Core Cities, to help them develop "business cases" to deliver a step change in their economic, social and cultural performance.
The forthcoming Local Government White Paper, the review of the powers of the Greater London Authority, the Lyons Inquiry into local government, and the Government's sub-national economic growth and regeneration review, will all inform Government's work ahead of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
Devolving decisions making: 3 - Meeting the regional economic challenge: The importance of cities to regional growth is available online.
