Planner’s Response To “Watershed Moment” For The North

Leeds Civic Hall was host to a national symposium to provide an opportunity for the UK2070 Commission to launch its review Fairer and Stronger:Rebalancing the UK Economy.

The event set out the risks we face if we do not change the way we do things and explored what should be done in order to:

Deliver effective devolution and decentralisation
Restructure the economy
Enable long term spatial planning
Provide stable long-term funding for action

The UK2070 Commission was set up to conduct a review of the policy and spatial issues related to the UK’s long-term city and regional development.

The independent inquiry is chaired by Lord Kerslake.

Findings discussed at the symposium proposed:

Much greater devolution of powers and funding, including the creation of four new 'super regional' economic development agencies.

A spatial plan to guide the future development of the whole of the UK.

Action to harness new technologies and strengthen local economies.

Long-term investment through a new National Renewal Fund which would rebalance the economy over a 25-year period.

In response to today’s launch of the UK2070 Commission report, Claire Kent of planning and design consultancy Barton Willmore, part of the UK2070 Commission, said: “This report is a watershed moment for the North, providing the hard data that strengthens the arguments that many people have already tried to advance.

“Rebalancing this country’s economy is a huge prize. We’ve had the Northern Powerhouse speeches; we’ve seen northern media titles campaign together and Government reviews have come and go – now it’s time to look at a proper spatial strategy to make progress."

The symposium which was sold out attracted high level speakers.

Ms Kent added: “At today’s symposium the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said it was the report he’d waited for his whole political life, and I’m sure that feeling is shared by many across the North.

“As a planner I’ve played a part in many celebrated growth stories, and we’re rightly proud of our regions, but this is about looking at the bigger picture and speaking with a unified voice.

“I am proud to be involved in this important movement, which looks to deliver change on the scale required to tackle inequalities across the UK.”

Councillor Judith Blake, who is also Chair of the Core Cities UK Network, said:

"As a Commissioner on the UK 2070 Board, it has been both fascinating and at times depressing to see just how deep-rooted geographical inequalities are across the UK.

"Too much unequal investment across the country has increased this imbalance by reinforcing past areas of growth rather than unlocking the huge future potential of new areas.

"If powers and funding can be given back to local government, we can steer a course which can improve the aspirations, opportunities and lives of our citizens and make a difference. It is no accident Leeds is the only city with an Outstanding Ofsted rating for Children’s Services and the only UK city seeing a decline in reception age children obesity, particularly in our least well off areas. These achievements are the result of deliberate local policies, an example of what we can achieve.

"The UK2070 Commission provides a real, phenomenal opportunity for us all to really look at this agenda through fresh eyes. A chance to look at growing economic disparities and offer suggestions about how best to tackle them on a long-term basis in the best interests of everyone. Cities and regions are drivers of local and regional economies, as well as hubs for international trade and centres of innovation. But we are held back by some of the most centralised governance arrangements in Europe - if not beyond. As the UK2070 Commission’s report highlights, our economic geography has been ‘bent out of shape’, with over half of jobs in the next 50 years expected to be in London or the South East when just one-third of the population lives there.

"Behind this economic story lies a human one. This is about people. It’s about lives. It’s about lives being ruined and life chances being created. Our agenda must see central government and investment brought closer to people, made more relevant to the places they care about and the lives they lead. Investment and powers must be fairly distributed, with prosperity not sucked towards the capital, but shared across every part of the UK.

"With the valuable insight from the UK2070 report we now need to grasp the nettle and build strategies to achieve real devolution - with resources, powers and fiscal devolution, giving regions the ability to raise their own finance.

"Our challenge is immense, but we have a clear direction for the future. It is for all of us to come together, seize the opportunity on behalf of the future prosperity of generations ahead."