Led by Manchester, the Core Cities Cabinet demanded that devolution to the UK’s cities is delivered in the same time frame as Scottish devolution.
The meeting with William Hague MP, chair of The Cabinet Committee for Devolved Powers, came hours after the Core Cities Cabinet met with Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
The Mayor backed their calls for greater powers to UK cities across borders, avoiding the unnecessary extra bureaucratic layer of an English parliament.
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council and Chair of Core Cities UK said:
“A programme of devolution for Scotland has been set out, but the national agenda for devolution is simply not radical enough. The devolution we need has to be at the level of the city and even the neighbourhood. Any legislation must make provision for the whole of the UK, and specifically for its cities. Although the timing should not restrict the promises to Scotland being delivered, we would like to see this within the same time frame for the whole of the UK. That is why we are pleased the Government is taking notice as in an increasingly competitive global economy, the UK’s big cities are Britain’s best bet.”
