Centre for Cities

The first 100 days of the Tees Valley Metro Mayor

Full audio of our event in Middlesbrough discussing priorities for the new Mayor of Tees Valley, who will be elected in May 2017. Suggestions included action on skills and transport, further accelerating the devolution process, and the need to be a figurehead championing the city region. On the panel were Cllr Sue Jeffrey, Former Chair of the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Leader of Redcar & Cleveland, Prof John Mawson, Director of the Institute for Local Governance, and Rachel Anderson, Head of Policy and Representation at the North East Chamber of Commerce, and the event was chaired by Alexandra Jones, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities.

City Talks: Getting ready for mayors

In this month's episode, Andrew talks to Lord Kerslake, former Head of the Home Civil Service, and Jo Casebourne from the Institute for Government about the impact new city region mayors will have on the political landscape of the UK. Andrew and his guests look at the changing role of MPs, and why some Westminster politicians are finding the prospect of being mayor attractive. Also touched on is the importance of mayoral influence as well as the powers handed over in devolution deals, whether there are too many politicians, and what Whitehall and Westminster should do in a more decentralised political environment.

City Talks: Robin Hambleton on leading an inclusive city

In this episode, Andrew talks to Robin Hambleton, Professor of City Leadership at the University of the West of England, about his book Leading the Inclusive City. Robin argues that globalisation has created new challenges for city leaders, who have to contend with 'place-less' forces like multinational corporations, and the growth of inequality and environmental damage as a result of urbanisation. In his book, he picks out 17 'innovation stories' from around the world detailing how leaders have responded to these issues. The conversation also touches on the influence of 'neoliberal' ideas on policy, the problems with the deal-based approach to devolution in the UK, the significance of the new Mayors of Bristol and London, and why academics should engage with practitioners and the cities in which they are based.

City Horizons: Tristram Hunt MP on the Urban Century

Full audio of our City Horizons event with Tristram Hunt MP, held at the People's History Museum in Manchester on 18 April 2016. In his speech, Tristram argued that Labour should embrace political devolution for cities, and suggested three areas where the party could go further than what has been offered by the devolution deals so far: greater fiscal devolution, public service reform, and local civic ownership of utilities. In the Q&A session after the speech, Tristram addressed concerns about local engagement with the devolution process, how to square devolution with redistribution, and the extent to which the programme he has set out is supported by the Labour leadership.

City Talks: The Politics of Cities ahead of the Local Elections

In this month's episode, Andrew looks at how the politics of cities have changed since the General Election, and what we can expect from the Local Elections on the 5th May. The conversation touches on the influence of national politics on the local campaigns, how party divisions on devolution and austerity might affect the result, and what the impact of new directly-elected mayors will have on the standing of local politics. Joining Andrew are Tom Clarkson, Research Team Leader at ComRes, Jonn Elledge, Editor of CityMetric, and David Kirkby Senior Research Fellow at Bright Blue.

City Talks: cities vs regions

In this episode, Andrew looks at how 'regional policy' – the attempt to integrate struggling areas into the national economy – has become increasingly focused on how cities can pull up their surrounding regions. Why has this change taken place, and will it leave some non-urban areas behind? The conversation touches on the shift between Labour's Regional Development Agencies and the Coalition's City Deals, how local politicians have navigated between local rivalries and the need to work together when creating new 'city-regions', and whether we'll see a return to regionalism. Joining Andrew to discuss these questions are Brian Groom, former senior editor at the Financial Times, Heather Jameson, Editor of The MJ, and Paul Dale, Chief Blogger at the Chamberlain Files.

City Talks: What is the Northern Powerhouse?

In this episode of City Talks, Andrew looks at the economic theory underpinning the Government's 'Northern Powerhouse' initiative, and what the policy implications have been so far. The conversation touches on the debate between economists and geographers on the 'agglomeration' effects of cities, and why the Chancellor and the Treasury have taken on these ideas. The discussion also looks at some of the questions that remain about the Northern Powerhouse, including its geographical focus, the amount of additional investment in the North, and how far local leaders and citizens have embraced the concept. Joining Andrew are Bridget Rosewell, senior adviser at Volterra Partners and former Chief Economic Adviser at the GLA, Mike Emmerich, Founding Director of Metro Dynamics and former CEO of New Economy in Manchester, and Dr Neil Lee, Assistant Professor in Economic Geography at the LSE.

City Talks: Tony Travers on the history of London's boroughs

In this month's episode, Andrew talks to the LSE's Tony Travers about his new book London's Boroughs at 50, and what the 1965 reorganisation of the capital's local government can tell us about the formation of new city-region bodies today. The conversation touches on how the boundaries of London were drawn up and negotiated, the characters different boroughs have developed, and the balance of power between local authorities and larger metropolitan units of government. Tony and Andrew also discuss the legacy of the New Urban Left's battle with the Thatcher government in the 1980s, and how the boroughs will fare in the future. 

City Talks: Simon Parker on shifting power to cities and local areas

This month Andrew is joined by Simon Parker, Director of the NLGN, to discuss his new book Taking Power Back: Putting People in Charge of Politics. Simon explains how the UK has gradually concentrated power in Whitehall and Westminster over the course of the post-war period, and argues that the peculiarly British experiment with centralisation has failed. Instead, international social and technological trends point to new ways of delivering public services that puts local people in the driving seat. Using examples like the Occupy movement in New York, Simon outlines this new 'libertarian socialist' ideal of 'the commons', and how it can work in practice. He suggests that the city devolution agenda taken up by the current government is welcome, but should only be the first step to pushing more power down to local communities.

City Talks: the open data revolution?

In this month's episode, Andrew looks at how the use of data can transform city governance and public services. The conversation touches on how open data can increase innovation and improve efficiency, how cities can get started with open data, and how to address people's concerns with the idea of releasing data into the open. Joining Andrew are Doug Mcleod, Director of Socrata, and Thomas Forth, Associate at the Open Data Institute in Leeds.