Centre for Cities

Supporting links between cities, universities and high-growth firms

Our Chief Executive Alexandra Jones sits down with Cllr Jason Kitcat, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, Andrew Lewis, Director of Policy at Newcastle City Council, and Dr Neil Bradshaw from the University of Bristol to discuss our latest report on supporting links between universities and high-growth firms. 

Sir Merrick Cockell on 'Breaking boundaries'

Alexandra Jones, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, discusses new report 'Breaking boundaries' with Sir Merrick Cockell, Chair of the Local Government Association.

The report argues that in order to improve public services, support economic and save money, the government should incentivise local authorities to formally work together by devolving more powers to the local level.

For video highlights of this interview go to: http://youtu.be/-QcEHlKRnFw 

For more information and to download the report, go to http://www.centreforcities.org/breakingboundaries 

Looking ahead to 2014

The Centre for Cities team discuss what UK cities can expect in the new year, touching on the forcasts for economic growth (and how reliable they may be...), the issues that will play out in the local and European elections in May, and how the Scottish referendum can provide an opportunity to rethink devolution elsewhere. We also touch on plans for our Think Cities campaign, as well as the research we'll be working on in the months ahead.

Bruce Katz - The Metropolitan Revolution

Centre for Cities Chief Executive Alexandra Jones welcomes Bruce Katz, Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Programme, to present his new book The Metropolitan Revolution in our roundtable event in Whitehall on Monday 28th October.

Bruce talks about the way cities are becoming increasingly prominent players in generating new ideas and driving growth. In her introduction, Alex talks about some of the implications this structural shift might have in the UK.

More information on the project, videos and an iPad app are available on the Metropolitan Revolution website. 

Small Business Outlook 2013

Lord Young of Graffham, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Enterprise, Mike Kapur, Chairman of the CBI Small Business Forum, and Richard Coleman, Director, SMEs at Zurich Insurance plc, join Andrew Carter, Deputy Chief Executive at Centre for Cities to discuss the recent Centre for Cities report Small Business Outlook and consider how small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can be supported in their cities. Why should SME policy be at the heart of the economic growth agenda? How can local government do more to support SMEs, and do they have the power to do this? What is the role of local business groups and LEPs in supporting SME growth? Small Business Outlook 2013 was supported by Zurich Insurance plc.

Spending Review 2013: One week on

Alexandra Jones, Ben Harrison and Andrew Carter reflect on what last week's Spending Review means for cities. The local authority cuts, the infrastructure statement from Danny Alexander and announcements surrounding the Heseltine Single Local Growth Fund are all likely to have significant implications on places across the country. But how will cities cope with cuts, without local government reform? How far can infrastructure investment help cities in the short term to 2016,  as well as in the long-term? Has there been enough practical discussion around how exactly the announcements will be delivered? Is £2 billion enough for the Single Local Growth Fund? Is the Fund flexible enough?

London 2030: What are the challenges for development in London?

In the final of our London 2030 series of events and podcasts in partnership with Addleshaw Goddard, we look at the challenges for development in London. Demand for London property, both commercial and residential, continues to outstrip the rest of the UK. Becky Worthington, Chief Executive, Lodestone Capital,  Ben Denton, Strategic Director for Housing and Regeneration, Westminster City Council and Marnix Elsenaar, Partner, Addleshaw Goddard join Ben Harrison, Director of Partnerships at Centre for Cities to discuss what the likely consequences are for London if it can't meet its development demands. On the commercial end of development, is the market capable of delivering the right kind of office development in the right places to support London's future growth? How do we encourage economic activity in regeneration places? And on the residential side, why is London suffering from a lack of homes and can the public sector help increase supply in London?

What is the experience of business when using state-funded support?

Following up from the Centre for Cities' policy briefing looking at the state-funded business support schemes on offer Andrew Carter, Centre for Cities speaks to Mike Spicer, British Chambers of Commerce and Peter Pledger, South London Business Association, about business support as it currently stands and what policymakers can do to improve what appears to be a very complex system. Questions are raised such as: what is the impact of a complex business support structure on businesses on the ground? What is the role of the public sector, when there is already private sector support out there? How do you strike a balance between national support systems and local ones? And with the first phase of the Business Bank announced, how effective is it likely to be and what more could it do to support business directly?

London 2030: What are the challenges for employment in London?

In the second of our three events looking at London up to 2030, this event focused on the future of London's labour market. Ian Ashman, Principal of Hackney Community College and Chair of Association of Colleges, and Mark Beatson, Chief Economist at CIPD join Alexandra Jones, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities to discuss the key challenges for London as it grows its economy and its private sector jobs. This discussion explores questions such as: how London's sectors are changing and where the jobs are likely to come from? How can the Capital support SMEs to grow and develop to create new opportunities, and how can it stay competitive in a global market?

Can London meet its transport needs in 2030?

London has grown substantially over the past two decades, but is it sustainable looking forward? Centre for Cities is hosting a series of events with Addleshaw Goddard asking how to support London's continuing economic and population growth. To complement the first discussion in which experts discussed a the challenges for London's transport network, Ben Harrison Director of Partnerships at Centre for Cities talks to David McNeill, Director of Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement, Transport for London and Stephen Joseph Chief Executive, Campaign for Better Transport about whether London is destined to fail in its battle to match capacity and what type of investment is required in the English capital.