Shopping Centre for Cities

"Cities have witnessed a rapidly changing policy environment under the Coalition Government. The next year will be an important marker as these policy changes begin to take hold."

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"Cities have witnessed a rapidly changing policy environment under the Coalition Government. The next year will be an important marker as these policy changes begin to take hold.

"Making the most of the economic potential of our cities has rarely been more important. Five years since the onset of the financial crisis the UK economy is still languishing, staggering in and out of recession. In the search for growth, policymakers from all political parties are increasingly recognising that cities, which produce two-thirds of the UK’s Gross Value Added, are vital to the economic future of the country.

"Yet the challenges and opportunities facing UK cities today are immense. The policy landscape has changed almost beyond recognition since the start of recession. Regional Development Agencies have gone and Local Enterprise Partnerships, two years old, are still finding their feet. New economic development policies, from Enterprise Zones to the Regional Growth Fund, have been introduced, local government funding has been reformed, and local government budgets have continued to shrink."