Member Article

Leeds gives its backing to Cities for Business partnership

Leeds has endorsed a new ‘Cities for Business’ partnership which has been launched, covering the eight largest urban areas in England.

Cities for Business aims to advise government on growth creation outside the South East, as well as working together on plans to create more jobs and investment and new ideas for supporting local businesses.

City and business leaders from the new partnership have written to the Chancellor, Shadow Chancellor and Chief Secretary to the Treasury in a joint statement calling for new powers and freedoms to create jobs, growth and investment across England’s biggest cities.

Councillor Keith Wakefield, Leader of Leeds City Council and Chair of the Leeds City Region Investment Panel said: “There is increasing support across the political spectrum for greater devolution of financial powers away from Whitehall.

“This was reflected in the Growth Deal agreed by Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership in July 2014.

“For Leeds and the wider city region greater financial freedoms and local control over how our finance is raised and invested can help us join up public services and support jobs and growth.

“Currently around 95% of all finance raised in a city goes directly to national government coffers, with the money coming back having significant strings attached. Now is the time for greater control for cities over their finances.”

“To provide long-term, sustainable growth and a genuine rebalancing of the national economy, the Growth Deal must be the start and not the end of the further devolution of power and resources to cities and city regions, and so I am delighted with this partnership announcement.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .