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Cities
The Centre for Cities has published its Cities Outlook 2009 report. This community looks at the report and how to regenerate cities during the recession
Since Eastern Europe joined the EU in 2004, the growing UK economy generated lots of vacancies - many of which were filled by A8 migrants. Now that we are in recession, the picture has changed. A8 migration is now taking place for the first time against the backdrop of increased competition for fewer jobs.
At Centre for Cities we have looked at the impact of A8 migration on the labour markets of two UK cities – Hull and Bristol. Over the past year, unemployment has risen sharply and job vacancies across the UK have fallen by 30%. Bristol has seen job vacancies decline by 59%, Hull by 45%. Given that migrants in Bristol work across a broad range of sectors, it’s likely the city will see more direct competition for jobs between A8 migrants and the local workforce.
In Hull, it’s a case of different city, different story. A8 migrants mostly work in warehouses or processing plants, as packers, mechanics or on production lines. They are channelled into these jobs through migrant recruitment agencies. There are effectively two parallel job markets in the city and Hull and East Riding local authorities, alongside Jobcentre Plus will need to work closely with these agencies to open up job opportunities to everyone.
Not all migrants are going home. In Bristol, for example, there's a well-established and growing Polish community. The migrants have brought with them youth, skills and motivation and helped to plug skill shortages and keep businesses competitive, helping them to grow and thrive. It is time to stop thinking of A8 arrivals as migrants, and start doing more to integrate those that want to stay – so they can help drive the UK out of recession.
Accession to Recession: A8 Migration in Bristol and Hull by Catherine Glossop and Faiza Shaheen at the Centre for Cities is available here
There's nothing so certain as death and taxes, so the saying goes. Well, we're facing one of those rare situations where the creative use of one (taxes that is) might help us to avoid the other. Not complete demise exactly, but a backsliding, through a failure to take the opportunity that is in front of us.
The eight Core Cities have achieved fantastic gains through regeneration, literally being reborn, redefined. With their city regions, these places now produce more wealth than London and contain a third of England's population; they make our economy viable.
But there is another certainty in dealing with any sticky situation: if we fail to prepare, we prepare to fail. Have our great cities got the tools they need to lay new economic foundations and put the building blocks of recovery in place?
( Read more... )
The eight Core Cities have achieved fantastic gains through regeneration, literally being reborn, redefined. With their city regions, these places now produce more wealth than London and contain a third of England's population; they make our economy viable.
But there is another certainty in dealing with any sticky situation: if we fail to prepare, we prepare to fail. Have our great cities got the tools they need to lay new economic foundations and put the building blocks of recovery in place?
( Read more... )
The renaissance of our leading cities, like Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, has been the engine of recent prosperity and will be the motor of recovery too. The latest data indicates that the rise in unemployment is spread fairly evenly across the country. However, as the Centre for Cities' report highlights, towns and cities in Britain will be affected in different ways, reflecting their distinctive local populations and industries. We are determined to avoid the mistakes of previous recessions, when some areas were disproportionately hit by unemployment and then held back from taking advantage of the opportunities of recovery.
( Read more... )
The government's urban policy is a mess, memorably described by regeneration minister Lord Rooker in 2003 as "a bowl of spaghetti".
There have been huge city successes, such as London, Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds. But it's far from clear how much of their success has been down to policymakers, let alone policymakers in Whitehall.
Meanwhile central government policy has been massively over-complex, dominated by planners and property and housing interests, and economically rather naive. Until recently, at least, the 2012 Olympics have been allowed to confuse and crowd out planning for East London.
( Read more... )
There have been huge city successes, such as London, Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds. But it's far from clear how much of their success has been down to policymakers, let alone policymakers in Whitehall.
Meanwhile central government policy has been massively over-complex, dominated by planners and property and housing interests, and economically rather naive. Until recently, at least, the 2012 Olympics have been allowed to confuse and crowd out planning for East London.
( Read more... )
Britain's cities are moving deeper into recession, and closer to the ballot box. As the economic outlook gets a lot worse, all three main parties face European and local elections this June. And the next general election is getting closer, too.
What impact will the recession have on our cities, and how much do they matter to the three main parties?
( Read more... )
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Page Summary
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
dermotfinch : First there was accession, now there is recession… [+0] - murray_chris : A taxing time for our cities [+0]
- jamespurnell : The renaissance of our cities will be the engine of recovery [+3]
- jessenorman : An urban policy for the next generation [+0]
- dermotfinch : Cities need to be powerful enough to tackle their own recessions [+0]
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