09Key questions
The analysis presented here opens up broader questions for further discussion. The analysis presented here opens up broader questions for further discussion.
- How should the current system be remodelled? Should one of the existing or recently established institutions be given greater authority over coordination of existing services, or is a more fundamental approach needed (scrap and build from scratch)?
- What is the right balance between national and local provisions of state-funded business support? What do the business support arrangements introduced via current and potential City Deals mean for a structured, national system? Will these initiatives facilitate more balanced delivery of business support, and ensure that services are better suited to local needs? Should they be replicated elsewhere or scaled-up if proven successful?
- What arrangement for business support infrastructure will ensure that the system is able to react to changing needs of businesses, particularly related to the new ways of doing business brought about by the ICT revolution?
In the near future, further details about City Deals and the Business Bank will be revealed and the new landscape of business support will continue to take shape. The Centre for Cities will be following the new announcements closely and will continue to contribute to the debate about state-funded business support.