City Views: How do Britain’s cities see London?

Through opinion polls and roundtables we asked how do Britain’s cities see London?

Report published on 13 May 2014 by Zach Wilcox and Nada Nohrová

In the years following the economic downturn of 2008, the capital’s economy has continued to accelerate away from other UK cities, despite politicians from all major political parties advocating a more balanced economy in which everyone shares the burden of reducing the deficit and restoring growth. This report aims to further our understanding of how people and businesses in cities outside London feel about the capital today, including its impact on their place and the future of the country as a whole.

The report, produced in partnership with Centre for London and supported by Lloyds Banking Group, brings together findings from a survey of people living in 16 cities outside of London, a national survey, and a series of discussions with local government and business leaders. Taken together, these new insights tell us more about how people living outside of London perceive the capital. It finds that:

  • There is a strong sense of scepticism amongst respondents as to whether London benefits the economy where they live. While most agree that the London economy benefits the country as a whole, they do not believe that it is particularly good for their place.
  • There is a clear feeling that our national politics and policymaking does not respond to local needs. A majority also believe that the location of Whitehall and Parliament within London leads to national decisions that are too focused on the needs of the capital, rather than other UK cities.
  • Many believe that London dominates culturally and in terms of national media coverage at the expense of other cities across the country.

Watch the above presentation for some of the key findings from the national and city YouGov survey

Read the individual results for the 16 surveys completed in individual cities:

Birmingham – Brighton – Bristol –  Cardiff –  Glasgow –  Hull –Leeds – Leicester – Liverpool – Manchester – Milton Keynes  – Newcastle – Nottingham – Sheffield – Southampton – Southend

 

Supported by Lloyds Banking Group  and in partnership with Centre for London

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Senior Consultant, City Economics at Arup