City Regions

The Northern Way has, since its inception in 2004, championed the economic contribution of the North's city regions to the overall growth of the North, and to the UK as a whole.  The eight northern city regions contain 90% of the North's population and more than 90% of its wealth creation.  By working across administrative boundaries, they therefore provide a clear basis for delivering better economic policy outcomes in areas such as transport, housing, skills, employment and regeneration.

City regions can create and sustain economic growth, provide a critical mass of public and private knowledge institutions, and a vibrant environment for knowledge creation and transfer.  They can provide key transport links and connectivity to attract higher value business, a skilled workforce, and the strategic business services and investment needed to support growth.

There are eight city regions in the North.  They are:

Central Lancashire; Hull and Humber Ports; Leeds; Liverpool;  Manchester; Sheffield;  Tees Valley; Tyne and Wear

 Progress

The eight northern city regions have made good progress over the last four years in strengthening their governance and decision making structures, and developing their capacity to work together. They have identified ways to maximise their potential through the development of City Region Development Plans (CRDPs) informing Regional Economic and Spatial Strategies.  Through the Multi-Area Agreement process, in which the North's city regions are particularly prominent, partnerships have begun to secure new freedoms and flexibilities from government. There is continuing ambition to deepen and extend the benefits of this approach, where positive outcomes can be achieved. 

The City Regions have enhanced and broadened their policy development work including taking a more strategic approach to transport policy and strategy, extending involvement in a wider range of policy areas including housing, planning, skills, infrastructure and environment.   The northern RDAs are working as core partners in these city region partnerships, as a means of securing greater alignment with local activity, making choices about priorities for investment, and developing integrated regional strategies.

Pilot City Regions

In the 2009 Budget, the Government announced Greater Manchester and Leeds as the pilot statutory city regions.  The pilots will be overseen at Ministerial level, and will draw on the Manchester Independent Economic Review and on innovation in the Leeds City Region.  The aim is to agree joint priorities with the Government which support economic growth.  The Government will work with the pilots to develop proposals for new strategy-setting powers over adult skills funding, and new joint investment boards with RDAs, HCA and other partners to coordinate and align investment and pilot new employment programmes.

Role of The Northern Way

The Northern Way has played a significant role in helping to shape this environment through its work to promote city-regions, strengthen relationships between different tiers of government, develop the evidence-base, sponsor inter-city regional collaboration, and support the development of City Regional Development Plans.  This positive role was reflected in an independent evaluation by PWC in July 2007.

The Northern Way City Regions Forum was set up in 2007.  Chaired by Andrew Lewis and supported by The Northern Way team, it brings together senior officials of the eight northern city regions and the three northern RDAs. It aims to exchange information and good practice, influence policy development, and provide practical support in relation to city region working. It provides a basis for joint working to raise the quality of city regional working on economic development issues, by sharing practice.

The Northern Way commissioned ARUP in Spring 2009 to review the work and future role of the Northern Way City Regions Forum, and are now taking forward the recommendations of this review in a forward work programme.