RSA Replay: City Growth Commission: Final Report Launch

How can cities play a more significant role in our political economy, creating greater, more inclusive and sustainable growth in the UK?
The final report of the City Growth Commission is the culmination of more than a year of extensive engagement with key stakeholders, political leaders and officials at the highest levels in Whitehall, Westminster and local government. It offers a vision for the future of our cities and recommendations for boosting the UK’s long-term economic growth. Given the growing political momentum around city-led growth ahead of next year’s general election, the Commission findings offer a valuable opportunity to further shape the terms of this important debate, examining how public service reform can start to make cities more fiscally sustainable; how we can achieve complementary growth between London and our other cities; and the fiscal powers and governance arrangements needed to deliver these aims.
Keynote addresses from Rt Hon Lord Heseltine Ch and Sir Richard Leese, Chair of the LGA Cities board and Leader of Manchester City Council.
The panel includes Jim O’Neill, Chair, City Growth Commission; Jules Pipe, Chair of London Councils; Tom Riordan, Chief Executive Leeds City Council, Amanda Clack, Senior Vice President, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Ben Lucas, Chair of Public Services at the RSA.
www.citygrowthc...

[@LiamClancyWizardsBrew]

I don't think the Commission has made a convincing argument for decentralisation however, it has some good ideas for a basic framework that may facilitate growth. The logic of the basic presumption of the report is fallacious. Centralisation / Decentralised - Devolution style governance both have advantages and disadvantages in facilitating growth but the causal relationship between the form of governance and economic growth is not established. It could be argued that a more responsive Centralised Government could provide greater facilitation of growth. It could also be argued that the City centric growth strategy fails to acknowledge the distribution of resources to rural and isolated regions that will still be required and that many will still want a country lifestyle choice. The report also ignores the broader policy position of austerity which arguably is the underlying restraint on growth. There are some good ideas in the report in terms of areas to address but the Devolution or Centralisation of government is a peripheral argument. Growth can happen regardless and will happen if government acknowledge the need to invest in growth not simply apply managerialist austerity policies which maybe appropriate at an organisational level but are totally ineffective at a macro economic and social development level.