Elected mayors for our reborn cities

Yes, our cities are seeing a rebirth (Leaders, March 6). And cities matter. The biggest English cities now contain over half the population and have two-thirds of all jobs, well up on a decade ago. But as this week's State of the Cities report also shows, performance has been uneven. Reading is doing better than Rochdale. Overall, northern cities perform 20-30% worse than the south on key measures such as population growth, employment and levels of deprivation. But it's not simply a north-south divide. There are still big performance gaps within our major cities. As David Miliband said, our cities remain divided. Manchester city centre is doing very well, but the doughnut around it has a long way to go. Over the next decade, these inner rings need to be better connected to city cores and surrounding outer suburbs.

Our cities have benefited hugely from an unprecedented period of economic stability. But as national economic growth slows, and global pressures increase, they will have to work even harder to maintain their performance. Ministers should also push ahead with their devolution agenda. Empowered cities will perform better.

Leadership and power are key. Our cities would do even better if they had more power, especially over their own finances. British cities only raise 20% of their own cash, compared with over 40% on the continent and in the US. Meanwhile, London has got more powers than any other English city. Our biggest city-regions outside London should now be given more powers, especially over economic development. Directly elected mayors in Greater Manchester and Greater Birmingham would be a positive step forward.
Dermot Finch
Director, Centre for Cities, Institute for Public Policy Research