Tag Archives: centre for cities

The Independent View: Time for the Lib Dems to capitalise on their cities’ opportunity

By Andrew Carter | Sun 26th October 2014 - 8:45 am

There has been a flurry of interest in cities and the economic regeneration of the North from all sides of the political spectrum over the past few months, so it was not surprising to see them feature strongly during party conference season.

Over the three weeks, we created a platform for each of the parties to debate and explore how their parties could turn the rhetoric into reality, and win the hearts and minds of Britain’s cities at the 2015 Election. It was fascinating to see representatives of Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems argue that their party alone possessed an unrivalled philosophical affinity with urban voters.

(Pictured is the Centre for Cities fringe meeting, co-hosted with LibDemVoice – “Urban battlegrounds: how can the Liberal Democrats win in cities in 2015?” – with Stephen Williams MP, Cllr Wendy Taylor (Newcastle) and Lord (Ben) Stoneham.)

Posted in The Independent View | Also tagged devolution | 4 Comments

The Independent View: London – a magnet for talent

By Alexandra Jones | Mon 3rd February 2014 - 9:55 am

Vince Cable recently accused London of acting like a giant machine that sucks in all of the talent from the rest of the country. Our new report, Cities Outlook 2014, shows that London is indeed a magnet for young people from across the country. But the big question is: why does this happen, and what does it mean for policy?

First, let’s look at the key stats. Somewhat counterintuitively, overall London loses population to the rest of the country. But this is overwhelmingly to the Greater South …

Posted in The Independent View | Also tagged featured, london and vince cable | 11 Comments

Independent View: Why a national approach will not resolve the UK’s housing crisis

By Ben Harrison | Tue 22nd January 2013 - 12:34 pm

Britain is in the midst of a housing crisis. For many people, soaring house prices mean that the notion of owning their own home is not a realistic prospect.

Decades of failed housing policies mean we are currently building around 100,000 fewer homes than required to keep pace with demand each year. Our latest report, Cities Outlook 2013, sponsored by the Local Government Association, shows that only by putting place back into housing policy can we provide a much needed boost to the UK economy, and take a big step towards resolving this crisis over the long term.

Posted in The Independent View | Also tagged housing | 14 Comments

A tailored response is required to tackle cities’ unemployment challenges

By Paul Swinney | Mon 23rd January 2012 - 8:54 am

Today, Centre for Cities launches Cities Outlook 2012, our fifth annual ‘health check’ on UK cities, and this year we have focused on unemployment in cities.

The report, sponsored by IBM and the LGA, shows that there is a strong geographical nature to unemployment across UK cities. But unemployment is not evenly spread across the UK. While cities such as York and Cambridge have relatively low levels of unemployment, cities such as Grimsby and Hull have a much larger problem.

The variation in unemployment across cities is stark. While the number of people in Cambridge claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is just …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged unemployment | 3 Comments

More power for cities over skills budgets

By The Voice | Thu 29th October 2009 - 9:20 am

This week The Voice is running a four part series from the Centre for Cities, a think tank that works on analysis and policy to boost city economies. They launched their ‘Cities Manifesto’ at the Bournemouth Lib Dem Conference and this series looks in more detail at its main planks. You can also find out more at http://www.citiesmanifesto.org.

UK business leaders have become so fed-up with our skills system that they’re now refusing even to discuss it. Asked what the priorities for skills reform should be over the next five years …

Posted in Local government, Op-eds and The Independent View | 2 Comments

Building the houses we need in Britain’s cities

By The Voice | Wed 28th October 2009 - 9:20 am

In our cities, some of the most visible effects of the credit crunch are the housebuilding projects and plans that have ground to a halt. The regeneration of York Northwest …

Posted in Local government, Op-eds and The Independent View | 14 Comments

More financial power for cities

By The Voice | Tue 27th October 2009 - 9:20 am

All the major parties spent party conference season trying to advance their localist credentials. However, there’s more the Liberal Democrats could do to reassert their radical localist credentials – most significantly, by …

Posted in Local government, Op-eds and The Independent View | 3 Comments

Opinion: Metro Mayors for UK’s largest cities

By The Voice | Mon 26th October 2009 - 9:20 am

At party conference last month, I was struck by just how many of the UK’s biggest cities are run by the Lib Dems. You now control virtually every big city outside London – that means that, taken together, 25 million people …

Posted in Local government, Op-eds and The Independent View | 12 Comments