A Case for Cities in Local Government Reorganisation and English Devolution
https://www.caseforcities.ukInteresting and very readable report by Inner Circle Consulting
https://www.innercircleconsulting.co.uk that focuses on devolving greater power and responsibility to cities in England. This may have a resonance in other countries looking at devolution.
Brief Summary
Cities are Englands growth engines, but too many are still governed by outdated boundaries defined a generation ago.
This report sets out a practical plan to right-size city governance, embed prevention into public services, and create a connected network of high-performing cities that drives national prosperity. Its a time-limited opportunity created by Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and the new wave of devolution. We argue for decisive action now - before the window closes.
The Case for Cities report was prepared on behalf of the cities of Peterborough, Lincoln, Reading, Gloucester, Oxford, Norwich, Swindon, Exeter, Ipswich, and Cambridge. A coalition of fast growing cities of national significance
Harnessing the opportunities of population growth, while closing the productivity gap through the right powers, governance and geographies, is critical if cities are to realise their full potential as drivers of national prosperity. This will unleash the untapped potential of English cities
The data shows that cities in England have untapped potential when we compare them to international averages and perform unevenly when compared to national benchmarks. Some cities from Ipswich to Swindon perform strongly on productivity, most English cities fall well below international peers. Patterns of population growth are also varied: Cambridge, for example, grew by over 17% between 2013 and 2023, compared with 7% nationally and 6% in London.
Local government reorganisation and devolution represent a unique chance to address the barriers to urban growth and unlock potential for cities across England
A summary of the recommendations
To create the conditions for a network of enabled cities to contribute to our collective future, we need to:
Empower cities through single-tier governance
By creating a new generation of city-led unitaries, distinct from county-scale models, so cities can govern at the right scale to deliver growth, reform, and prevention for their communities.
Right-size city-led unitaries
By reforming outmoded boundaries so cities can plan and deliver across the real places where people live, work, and move.
Commit to a long term national cities strategy
By establishing a long term cross-government strategy that recognises cities role in delivering national missions and key commitments such as the spending review and industrial strategy.
Back a polycentric England
By investing in a connected network of high-performing cities, beyond the core city-led metropolitan areas, to drive balanced growth across England and the UK.
Hardwire prevention into public services
By equipping cities to lead on prevention by aligning health, housing, and care services at the urban scale, with the data, powers, and partnerships needed to act early.
Embed city-led unitaries in devolution deals
By ensuring all Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) have strong, empowered city-led unitaries, capable of driving delivery and shaping strategy from the ground up.
To me the most challenging recommendation is hardwire prevention into public services at the right scale so that the moment can be used to reform service delivery, giving cities the power to deliver effectively on prevention by aligning services across health, housing, and welfare at the urban scale, with the data, powers, and partnerships needed to act early. This will require significant changes in how different agencies under different government structures work such as health care under central government and social care under local government. This is something that has been talked about but nothing has actually happened. Will this require a city block grant system similar to that which is in place for Scotland? This might require a change to the Barnett Formulae! And what about the surrounding rural areas with respect to specialist hospital health care which tend to be more city-located? Perhaps a more regional approach combining rural and urban with a further city and rural focus within the region? Is this something that central government and a Treasury that is more focused on financial control would contemplate?
Perhaps the recommended scale of devolution may have a chance of being implemented as it may not frighten off the Treasury. Nevertheless this work is a great step forward in the area of devolution and brings me back to the Northern Region Strategy Team which reported in 1977! Implementing its recommendations would have been a huge step forward and have achieved what the Cities report is aimed at.
