Cities for Business partnership launched to create jobs and investment

A NEW Cities for Business partnership has been launched, covering the eight largest urban areas in England, including Leeds and Sheffield. 

The partnersip has been formed by the Core Cities Cabinet joining with the chairs of the eight Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

Cities for Business aims to advise government on growth creation outside the South East, as well as working together on plans to create more jobs and investment and new ideas for supporting local businesses.

City and business leaders from the new partnership have written to the chancellor, shadow chancellor and chief secretary to the Treasury in a joint statement calling for new powers and freedoms to create jobs, growth and investment across England’s biggest cities.

Councillor Keith Wakefield, leader of Leeds City Council and chair of the Leeds City Region Investment panel said: “There is increasing support across the political spectrum for greater devolution of financial powers away from Whitehall. This was reflected in the Growth Deal agreed by Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership in July 2014.

“For Leeds and the wider city region greater financial freedoms and local control over how our finance is raised and invested can help us join up public services and support jobs and growth. Currently around 95% of all finance raised in a city goes directly to national government coffers, with the money coming back having significant strings attached. Now is the time for greater control for cities over their finances.

“To provide long-term, sustainable growth and a genuine rebalancing of the national economy, the Growth Deal must be the start and not the end of the further devolution of power and resources to cities and city regions, and so I am delighted with this partnership announcement.”

Councillor Jon Collins, leader of Nottingham City Council and vice chair, growth, of Core Cities Cabinet added: “This is a critical moment for our economy and our cities. As leaders and mayors of big cities we want to do all we can to support our businesses to create growth and jobs, but it often feels like we are doing so with one hand tied behind our backs.

“With greater freedom to generate the right skills in the labour market, more investment and tailored support packages for business, we could do much more.  Our urban areas deliver 27% of the English economy, but are still underperforming by international standards.  That’s why we have come together with our eight LEPs – which cover wider areas around the Core Cities – to create a distinctive urban voice.”