Centre for Cities responds to the Budget announcement on city-regions

Date: 22/04/2009

In response to the Budget announcement that Greater Manchester and Leeds City-Region have been awarded statutory city-region status, Dermot Finch, Director, Centre for Cities said,

"Statutory city-region status is a real step forward for Greater Manchester and Leeds.  Centre for Cities' has made the case for governance across ‘real' city economies over a number of years and publicly called for England's biggest cities to be first in line.  Change will not happen overnight, but as forerunner city-regions, the cities will be better placed to manage their own economies, with the powers over regeneration, job training and employment they need to weather future economic changes.

"This is just the start of the process. Over time, statutory city-regions should get wider London-style powers - and the option of a directly elected mayor, which would give Whitehall the confidence to further powers and resources downwards."

Read the Centre for Cities budget submission