Stephen Jones is the new director of Core Cities UK
Core Cities UK has announced Stephen Jones as its new director.
Stephen joins Core Cities UK after 19 years in the civil service, most recently as the Director of the Cities and Local Growth Unit, jointly working between the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Stephen has worked across a number of Government Departments, including seven years in the Cabinet Office and No10, and has worked on a range of economic and domestic policy agendas.
In that time, Stephen has had a particular focus on urban and regional policy and has been instrumental in many of the major developments in that agenda over the last decade. These included instigating the first round of City Deals, the establishment of the Northern Powerhouse, negotiating numerous devolution deals, creating new investment funds like the Future High Street Fund, Towns Fund and UK Shared Prosperity Fund and developing the Levelling Up White Paper.
Stephen said: “I am delighted to be taking up the position as the Director for Core Cities UK at this vital time. After years of sluggish growth and as we face into rising living costs, increased inequality and the generational threat of climate change, our largest cities must be at the forefront of tackling these challenges. I look forward to working with each of the 11 Core Cities to develop a positive and ambitious policy programme to improve the lives of residents and help drive forward the UK.”