Our reaction to the Local Growth Deals announced this morning.
The Centre for Cities welcomes the announcements of the first wave of Growth Deals, which will provide important funding for major infrastructure projects in many UK cities across the country. In particular, funds committed to improve transport connectivity across some of the biggest and fastest growing city economies could have a significant impact on future jobs growth in those areas.
With all major political parties now vying over policies to devolve more power to cities, the priority over the coming months and years must be to keep all national politicians and officials moving faster and further down the path of giving cities up and down the country far greater autonomy.
The UK remains one of the most centralised countries in the developed world. For UK cities to compete internationally, support job creation and improve standards of living, this means giving cities far greater control over the money that is spent in their area, including tax-raising powers, so that local leaders can take the big decisions affecting growth in their area, and direct investment where it is needed most.