In what Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg calls a "dramatic power shift", England's largest cities have gained new powers to control their economies and transportation, reports Sam Lister.
Seeing the potential to spur economic and job growth over the next two decades, the major English cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield have all reached agreement with the central government to gain more control over infrastructure and investment decisions.
According to Clegg, the deals, whose terms vary by city, amount to "an unprecedented transfer of power from central government to local communities."
"They are the economic powerhouses of England," says Clegg, "so it makes sense that the cities decide for themselves how to boost their local economies."
Chris Berkin, writing in Construction News, notes that, "Many cities will combine with other regional authorities in order to more effectively deliver planning and infrastructure."
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