The challenges of Covid-19 (C19) are accelerating transition to a different future economy, confronting the UK with a choice: deal with persistent challenges and grow, or risk entrenching inequality and low productivity. Beyond the immediate health response, this is the central challenge for Budget 2021. 
Core Cities offer to Government, supported by our institutions and businesses, is to manage a rapid, positive transition to the future economy, creating and protecting jobs, growing business and trade links now we have left the European Union. Our cities are already economic hubs of innovation and can do more to diversify the UK’s urban offer, providing different and affordable lifestyle choices, capturing more global economic activity. 
The recent policy focus from this Government has been on towns. We understand the need to address the long term economic challenges of all places across the UK. The Levelling Up Fund will provide much needed capital investment in this respect, but policy must recognise that any urban or rural area does not exist as an economic island.  
Our towns and cities have a complex, mutually dependent relationship. Successful economic policy should understand how to leverage these relationships to get the most from all our urban communities, through a mixture of investment, freedoms and policy reform, encouraging innovation and making the most of our global links and international opportunities.