Centre for Cities

Britain is behind G7 peers on mass transit delivery

Centre for Cities today sets out details of the devolved measures and reforms that can help mayors to take control of local ...
Centre for Cities

Nine in 10 new higher-paid jobs created in cities

Between 2014 and 2024 cities added 1.9 million jobs, accounting for 76 per cent of all new jobs created in Britain.
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City Talks: Lessons from City Deals

Andrew Carter, Chief Executive, is joined by Ian Taylor, Associate at the City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-Redi), and Philip McCann, Sir Terry Leahy Chair of Urban and Regional ...
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Mayors want better transport infrastructure. Here’s how Government can help them build it

With approval first secured in 1993, many expected trams in Leeds to be running within a decade. But in 2026, they are inexplicably further away than 30 years ago. With the latest delay, West ...
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Licence to build: Delivering urban transport infrastructure through devolution

Mayors across England have big ambitions for expanding their urban transport networks. From Greater Manchester’s Metrolink extension to new Merseyrail stations in Liverpool City Region, places are ...
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For urban transport delivery, Government must deliver on devolution

The interrelated bottlenecks across powers, planning, financing and capacity all reduce the ability of mayors to deliver improvements to their transport infrastructure. This holds back investment and ...
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Cities don’t grow alone: Why good growth needs big and small cities working together

The challenge for government is to get big cities generating higher-paid jobs and also provide better access to those opportunities from smaller places. The Prime Minister has made good growth in ...
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The Prime Minister is right: Scotland needs deeper devolution, starting with Glasgow

Glasgow is the most important part of Scotland's devolution puzzle to get right, and deeper devolution to the city-region should come with a metro mayor. Blog post published on 21 October 2026 by Jess ...
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Outside London, Britain’s big cities do not generate enough higher-paid jobs

The main way people benefit from a growing economy is through job creation. The prevalence of higher-paid jobs (the jobs that pay a salary in the top 20 per cent nationally) is key to this.
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My Budget prediction: Regional growth will take centre stage

The Chancellor's forthcoming Budget is being billed as a quiet affair, but it is the best opportunity to make real the commitment to 'rewiring the state'. The Chancellor’s forthcoming Budget is being ...
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Devolution and accountability: Who should hold mayors to account?

As mayors gain greater powers and control over funding, how should they be held to account? Join Centre for Cities and expert speakers to explore how scrutiny and accountability should evolve in the ...