Councils from the UK’s major cities and city regions have joined forces to call for radical devolution from Whitehall to enable them to ‘level up’ growth across the whole of the UK.   
The capital and other big cities and towns across the UK are all part of linked economic networks, particularly across city regions. The upcoming Budget must do more to recognise and leverage those connections, giving back control to local people.
Urban authorities from Core Cities UK and London Councils all agree devolution has to come with a fair funding settlement for the whole of the UK. Local government has borne the brunt of austerity over the past decade, with core funding reduced by almost two thirds between 2010 and 2020. Although he recent local government finance settlement was the most generous in years, council budgets in urban areas are still 25% lower than in 2010/11.
Business rates are set by central government and are in urgent need of reform, as is council tax. Yet even with these changes, the United Kingdom will remain one of the most centralised countries in the world and there is growing evidence that this is hampering growth and productivity.