LocalGov writes:<\/span><\/p>\n The report, entitled City systems<\/a>: the role of smaller towns and cities in growing the Northern Powerhouse, also revealed growth rates in the 20 SMCs with populations over 75,000 match levels seen in major cities.<\/span><\/p>\n IPPR does, however, argue that many SMCs do face significant challenges from not being better connected to bigger cities, and urges Whitehall to review the \u2018London-centric\u2019 system of transport funding which favours major cities.<\/span><\/p>\n The report also recommends the Government treat SMCs in a manner similar to how it treats small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with bespoke support to foster local strengths.<\/span><\/p>\n Ed Cox, director of IPPR North, said: \u2018In the same way small and medium businesses are now seen as vital to the British economy and the success of our big companies, we need to refocus policy on the North\u2019s small and medium towns and cities, and not just the big cities \u2013 vital as they are.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018The evidence shows this is not \u2018jam-spreading\u2019 resources thinly but economically the right thing to do: Manchester needs a prosperous Wigan to succeed, and vice-versa.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n A report<\/a> last month warned the Northern Powerhouse will only succeed if more resources are spent on underperforming cities in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The North\u2019s small and medium-sized cities (SMCs) contribute more than Wales and Northern Ireland combined to the UK economy every year – but they need to be better connected to the bigger cities, says a report from the thinktank IPPR … Continue reading