Centre for Cities

City Talks: Think Tank views – what should be in the Levelling Up White Paper?

The UK Government will soon publish its highly-anticipated Levelling Up White Paper, setting out a plan to level up opportunities and to address the country’s long-standing geographic inequalities.

Levelling up formed a key part of this Government’s 2019 election manifesto and in the two years since has become a political buzzword ahead of the White Paper’s publication this autumn.

What have fellow UK think tank experts made of the levelling up debate so far? How do they feel the agenda’s narrative has evolved over the past eighteen months? What do they expect to see in the forthcoming Levelling Up White Paper?

In this episode of City Talks, Andrew Carter speaks to Will Tanner, Director of Onward and former special advisor to Theresa May, Carys Roberts, Executive Director of IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research) and Nick Bowes, Chief Executive of Centre for London and former Mayoral Director of Policy at the Greater London Authority.

This episode is part of the Centre for Cities City Talks series. Please rate, review and share the episode if you enjoyed it.

City Talks: What can German reunification teach the UK about levelling up?

The UK Government will soon publish a plan for levelling up the country and bridging its long-standing geographic divides.

The UK is not the first country to have to grapple with this challenge; when Germany reunified in 1990, productivity in the former East was was just 60% of that in the West and people in cities such as Leipzig and Dresden were less prosperous than those in Frankfurt or Munich.

Over the last three decades the German Federal Government has worked to close this gap and, though it still exists, prosperity and economic productivity in the former East Germany has now almost caught up with the West.

What did the Federal Government do to achieve this? And what lessons can the German experience offer the UK’s own levelling up agenda? To discuss this Andrew Carter is joined by:

• Dr Matthias Brachert, Economist at the Centre for Evidence-based Policy Advice, part of IWH Halle, which provides independent economic research.
• Dr Benjamin Klement, Research Fellow at Fraunhofer Leipzig, the Centre for International Management and the Knowledge Economy. It conducts interdisciplinary socio-economic research.
• Prof Felix Roesl, Professor of Urban and Regional Economics at the University of Braunschweig and former Economist at IFO Dresden, which conducts economic research on the former East German federal states.

 

City Talks: Ben Houchen on his vision for Tees Valley

More than five months into his second term, the Mayor joined Chief Executive Andrew Carter at this year’s Conservative Party Conference for an in-depth discussion on what’s on his agenda for the future of Tees Valley, his expectations for the upcoming Levelling Up White Paper and his views on further devolution.

This episode is part of the Centre for Cities City Talks podcast series. We invite you to rate, review and share the episode if you enjoyed it.

City Talks: Andy Burnham on his vision for Greater Manchester

Now more than five months into his second term, the Mayor joined Director of Policy and Research Paul Swinney at this year’s Labour Party Conference for an in-depth discussion on his experiences as Mayor of Greater Manchester and his positioning on levelling up and devolution.

This episode is part of the Centre for Cities City Talks podcast series recorded at Labour Party Conference 2021. We invite you to rate, review and share the episode if you enjoyed it.

City Talks: Tracy Brabin on her vision as West Yorkshire‘s first metro mayor

In May 2021 Tracy Brabin made history as West Yorkshire’s first metro mayor, and Britain’s first female metro mayor.

In this episode of City Talks Andrew Carter caught up with her to discuss her first few months in office, why she stood and her vision for West Yorkshire.

This episode is part of the Centre for Cities City Talks podcast series. Please rate, review and share the episode if you enjoyed it.

City Minutes: How can we level up struggling UK towns?

Our research shows that not every UK town is struggling. What can we learn from successful towns about the levelling up agenda? What are the main characteristics that differentiate strong towns from weaker ones and what policy is needed to make long-lasting change?

This City Minutes explores these questions as part of our wider ongoing work into the performance of UK towns in the context of levelling up.

In the second episode, host Andrew Carter is joined by Centre for Cities’ Senior Analyst Kathrin Enenkel to discuss how we can bring greater prosperity to towns that are struggling.

Explore our work on levelling up towns here.

City Minutes: Exploring the cities versus towns debate

The cities versus towns debate is often unhelpfully pitched as an ‘us versus them’ scenario. What is the nature of the economic relationship between cities and towns and how does it play out across the UK? What implications does the debate have for policy makers and people alike?

This City Minutes explores these questions as part of our wider ongoing work into the performance of UK towns in the context of levelling up.

In the first episode, host Andrew Carter is joined by Centre for Cities’ Senior Analyst Kathrin Enenkel to discuss the symbiotic relationship between cities and towns and how they benefit from each other.

Explore our work on levelling up towns here. 

City Minutes: How to level up... public services

What regional inequalities do different parts of the UK face? And which policies should the Government implement to bridge these divides and level up the country?

City Minutes is exploring these questions in a mini-series on how to level up the UK.

In the fourth episode, host Andrew Carter speaks with Centre for Cities’ Director of Policy and Research Paul Swinney to discuss the impact of a decade of austerity on the UK's largest cities and towns and the policy interventions needed to reverse these and level up public services.

Find all of our work on how to level up the UK here.

City Minutes: How to level up... transport

What regional inequalities do different parts of the UK face? And which policies should the Government implement to bridge these divides and level up the country?

City Minutes is exploring these questions in a mini-series on how to level up the UK.

In the third episode, host Andrew Carter speaks with Centre for Cities’ Researcher Tom Sells to discuss the policy interventions needed to level up the public transport system in cities and large towns.

Find all of our work on how to level up the UK here.

City Minutes: How to level up... high streets and city centres

What regional inequalities do different parts of the UK face? And which policies should the Government implement to bridge these divides and level up the country?

City Minutes is exploring these questions in a mini-series on how to level up the UK.

In the second episode, host Andrew Carter speaks with Centre for Cities’ Analyst Valentine Quinio to discuss the challenges that our high streets and city centres face, and the policy interventions needed to support them.

Find all of our work on how to level up the UK here.