Clark given cities remit

Cities are the key to ensuring economic growth across the country, so to help them “harness their potential”, the Government has put together a new ministerial support group and made Greg Clark the Minister for Cities.

Nick Clegg and Greg Clark are to become champions for English cities, tasked with helping them to achieve their potential and capitalise on opportunities for economic growth and prosperity.

Clark, as the newly-appointed Minister for Cities, is to join the Deputy Prime Minister on the new ministerial group established 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 experience as the leader of Newcastle City Council.

“I am thrilled to be appointed Minister for Cities,” Clark said. “For Britain to be successful, Britain's cities need to be successful. Our cities generate well over half of our wealth and are home to the majority of our businesses and our leading universities. If our cities do well, the country does well. I am looking forward to working with the leaders of Britain's cities to ensure that the Government does everything possible to help urban Britain thrive.”

In recognition of the varied characteristics of cities, the intention is to combine what the Government calls 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 consist of the eight largest cities outside of London: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Sheffield.

“The Minister for Cities will champion the economic, social and environmental role of cities,” said the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. “He will be the first point of contact in understanding the challenges and opportunities for cities in creating growth and prosperity across the country. I look forward to working with Greg and the rest of the Ministerial Group on Cities to take forward this agenda, and identify solutions to support our city leaders in driving future development and prosperity."

In his new role as Minister for Cities, Clark becomes a minister in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), reporting directly to business secretary Vince Cable. However, continues with his existing responsibilities at Communities and Local Government (CLG) and will also report directly to communities secretary Eric Pickles.

“Britain's cities contain some of our most serious social problems, but also have the greatest potential for economic expansion,” said Vince Cable. “My department is working hard to unlock that growth potential. I am delighted Greg Clark is taking on this role to continue this focus on the opportunities in our cities. We are already creating new Enterprise Zones and supporting the development of Local Enterprise Partnerships across England and I look forward to working with Greg on further development of our plans to secure long-term sustainable growth for the future."

Eric Pickles added: “If we want our cities to be able to compete on the global stage, then we have to start locally. That's why we’re putting decisions on growth in the hands of the local leaders and businesses who understand their local economy - through Local Enterprise Partnerships and Enterprise Zones, and rewarding councils that support local firms and jobs by keeping their own business rates.

“As Cities Minister, Greg Clark will take forward our work and unleash the potential that exists in our cities so they are engines of growth for the whole country, and become the best places in Europe to start and grow a business."