【普华永道】2024英国城市发展战略规划报告推动权力下放_53页_9mb

PwC Industry in Focus September 2024: Good Growth for Cities

A report focusing on economic growth strategies for UK cities, emphasizing devolution, public priorities, and collaborative approaches.

Contents

1. Executive summary
2. Public priorities turn firmly inwards
3. Skills, work-life balance and jobs drive improvements
4. Rosier economic outlook for the UK
5. Challenges and opportunities ahead
6. Delivering a devolved growth strategy
7. Appendix
8. Contacts

Executive Summary

A renewed focus on local devolution powers and economic growth strategies marks the approach of a new UK Government. According to PwC, cities are focusing on income, housing, and jobs to drive inclusive growth.

• Devolving power: Transferring authority to local leaders aims to enhance agency and fiscal flexibility for targeted development strategies.
• Economic trends: The UK experienced limited growth due to a cost-of-living crisis, yet trends suggest a recovery in 2024.

The report emphasizes the need for collaboration across governments, businesses, and academia to achieve sustainable growth while addressing housing affordability, educational disparities, and access to jobs.

Public Priorities Turn Firmly Inwards

This year’s survey shows the public’s growing concern towards economic welfare.

• Top priorities: Ranked from highest to lowest importance in terms of relative weighting are: Income (16%), Income distribution (9%), Work-life balance (15%), Jobs (12%), Housing (6%), Health (9%), Environment (6%), Transport (7%), Skills (7%) and High street (new businesses) (3%).

• Key shift: The population’s focus reflects ongoing financial strain due to inflation and high interest rates, leading to a decline in the importance of skills and environmental concerns year-on-year.

Skills, Work-Life Balance and Jobs Drive Improvements

Report measures improvements across five key areas:

• Skills: Youth and adult skills are the most significant improvements seen.

• Work-Life Balance: Work hours returning to pre-pandemic levels, with fewer people working more than 45 hours weekly.

• Jobs: Job market improvements, despite ongoing pressures in housing affordability.

Rosier Economic Outlook for the UK

Sectoral Economic Growth

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

Four main areas present both challenges and opportunities:

• Housing Affordability: Affordability has worsened significantly, with a house price-to-earnings ratio over eight times that seen in the 1990s.

• Homelessness: Increased temporary accommodation provision and inequalities in educational access remain critical issues.

• Education: Disparities in state education performance between and within regions.

• Access to Jobs: Measured by job density, there is significant variation between urban and rural cities, and even within them.

Delivering a Devolved Growth Strategy

Key Recommendations

• Collaboration Needed: A strategy for inclusive growth must integrate public, private and third sectors.
• Data Use: Cities must leverage data analytics and GIS tools to target investments and identify strengths.
• Devolvement: The active transfer of authority should create links between local strategies and central government priorities.

Conclusion

Successful devolution requires a clear framework and collaboration to address place-based challenges. Cities must balance economic growth with social priorities to ensure sustainable and inclusive progress.

Methodology

The Good Growth Index measures multiple variables including income, housing, and life expectancy. Data is weighted and calculated from local authority level polling and economic analysis.

Further Information

The report is available with supplementary visual data including figures on city rankings and economic projections.

End of Summarised Report