Centre for Cities

So was the 2013 Budget a Budget for growth? The Chancellor argued that it was, setting out tax cuts for individuals and businesses, a significant boost to the housing market via mortgages and a boost to infrastructure spending, as well as cuts bound to improve popular such as cuts to fuel duty and beer duty. But will it be enough to support short and longer term economic growth in cities round the UK?

This short podcast sets out the Centre for Cities' immediate reaction to the speech. Alexandra Jones, Chief Executive Andrew Carter, Director of Policy & Research, and Ben Harrison, Director of Partnerships, give their initial thoughts on what the Chancellor offered cities. Amongst the topics for discussion are: does the boost to mortgages tackle one of the biggest challenges facing the UK’s most unaffordable cities – building more houses – as well as helping more affordable cities refurbish and retrofit? How will the investment in infrastructure affect cities? What do the commitments to implement Heseltine mean? And will measures such as the Employment Allowance help cities round the UK to create the jobs they need?

This is the first in a series of podcasts the Centre for Cities will be recording with the London School of Economics examining key issues affecting UK economies. In advance of the 2013 Budget, Alexandra Jones, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities talks to Professor Henry Overman, Director of the Spatial Economic Research Centre at LSE about the effectiveness of current policy in stimulating economic growth in cities. What can policy do to support places to unlock their potential?