“Metro mayors are the winners in Autumn Budget”

Responding to the Autumn Budget, Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, said:

Press release published on 22 November 2017

“The metro mayors and their city regions are the clear winners of this Budget. Not only did the Chancellor confirm that mayoral areas will receive the lion’s share of the new ‘Transforming Cities’ Fund’ to improve transport and infrastructure, he also indicated they will be the focus of the upcoming industrial strategy and efforts to tackle homelessness.

“This shows that mayoral city regions will be given priority ahead of other places when it comes to Government decisions on investment and policy-making. If any other cities had doubts about the merits of having a mayor, this Budget should put those misgivings to bed. Major cities which are yet to introduce a mayor should therefore step up efforts to agree a devolution deal with Government, or risk falling further behind.

“The new North of Tyne devolution deal and second West Midlands deal announced today are also welcome signs of the Government’s renewed interest in the city region devolution agenda. Hopefully the North of Tyne deal will be a stepping stone towards a wider Newcastle city region deal that includes areas like Gateshead, which make up an integral part of the local economy.”

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