Budget 2016 letter

Our letter to George Osborne ahead of this year’s Budget Statement focuses on the way cities can deliver the Government’s vision of a more productive, high wage, low welfare economy. We argue that achieving this aim will require different approaches in different parts of the country. Weaker economies will require policies to support growth alongside cuts to welfare. And stronger economies will require interventions that deal with the costs of growth, which are pushing up welfare spending, particularly on housing benefit.

We highlight three priorities that will help cities continue to drive growth and prosperity:

1. Keep devolution deals for economic growth focused on city regions, and complete the coverage of our largest cities
2. Reform the business rates system to support economic growth
3. Use devolution to increase the rate of housebuilding in our most successful cities