Greg Clark will take on the role of Minister for Cities in addition to his existing responsibilities
The press release states:
Cities are key to ensuring economic growth across the country, so it is vital to capitalise on opportunities and improve the way in which Government works with them. This will mean that Government can maintain its crucial role in setting infrastructure and national policies, whilst cities can be free to work in ways that suit them.
The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have asked Greg Clark to take on the role of Minister for Cities in addition to his existing responsibilities. He will also become a Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and will report directly to the Secretary of State for Business and Secretary of State for Communities.
The Deputy Prime Minister will chair a Ministerial Group including the Minister for Cities. The group will seek to develop new ideas for cities and consider the impact of existing policies. Lord John Shipley will also act as an adviser to Government on cities policy, drawing on his extensive experience as the Leader of Newcastle City Council.
In recognition of the varied characteristics of cities, the intention is to combine a cross-cutting approach with work to look at cities on an individual basis. This will start initially by focusing on the Core Cities and their surrounding areas, with a view to expanding to a broader group and identifying issues relevant to a wide range of cities.
The Core Cities – enormously important for national prosperity and for their local and regional economies – are the eight largest cities outside of London:
· Birmingham
· Bristol
· Leeds
· Liverpool
· Manchester
· Newcastle
· Nottingham
· Sheffield
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