Hull: Growing the Real Economy

Kingston-upon-Hull is a Partner City in the Centre for Cities research programme ‘Unlocking City Potential and Sustaining City Growth’. The programme works closely with a small group of cities to inform economic development strategies and improve economic performance. This report sets out policy analysis and recommendations in response to three principal questions:

• How can Hull city promote economic development across the real economy of its city-region?
• What should be Hull City Council’s priorities to encourage the growth of higher-value business sectors and employment?
• How can workforce skills and aspirations be increased in Hull?

Key Recommendations

• City-Region: Hull City Council should deepen its collaboration with the East Riding, first by carrying out a Joint Economic Assessment for the Hull Travel-To-Work Area (TTWA) and longer-term by considering the potential for a formal city-region including Hull City Council.

• Labour demand: Hull City Council should concentrate its efforts on supporting business activity based around the port and logistics industry, in particular pushing for improvements in regional transport infrastructure, especially road and rail access to the Port of Hull.

• Labour supply: Hull City Council should ensure that skills interventions are targeted towards sectors with growth potential across the Hull TTWA, using new powers being devolved to cities to ensure that these meet employer demand.