City Role in Reviving UK Economy

Big cities like Birmingham must lead the way in reviving Britain’s economy - but they have fallen behind during the recession, a study warns.

More jobs have been lost and fewer new businesses have been created in Birmingham and the Black Country than elsewhere, according to think tank The Centre for Cities.

In a report, it warned that parts of the country would continue to suffer from poverty and unemployment even once the recession was officially over.

The grim figures in the Centre for Cities report, demonstrated the need to give local councils more power so that they could make local decisions to help their economies, the think tank said.

Big cities will be key to reviving Britain’s economy, the report said. It warned: “The turnaround of our largest cities will be critical to the national recovery. More than one in three jobs, 39 per cent, in England is based in just five cities – Greater London and the City Regions of Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool.” Please click here to read the full Birmingham Post article and Lunarwoman Kate Cooper's blog here on this report.