‘Regions should be empowered’

REGIONS of the UK should be “liberated” to help the economy prosper in the years ahead, a business leader is urging.

CBI director-general Tony Danker will tell a conference that productivity should be increased across the country to help end inequalities in education, health, wealth and opportunity, as well as raising living standards.

He said long-term regional inequalities should be tackled, adding that a “new vision” for the economy will be published by the CBI next month.

Speaking at the organisation’s Urban Revival conference, Mr Danker will call for regions to be liberated from the “restrictive cookie-cutter approach” of the past.

He will say: “A core pillar of the CBI’s vision for the decade ahead is for every UK nation and region to be globally competitive, but neither business nor government can achieve this alone – levelling up will require partnering up.

“Governments can build the infrastructure for urban success – more trains, more broadband, new railway stations.

“They control the local budgets for buses, parks, healthcare and colleges – the essential foundations upon which communities are forged.

“Reinforcing successful business clusters will be central to kick-starting this regional revival.

“Cookie-cutter solutions are no solution at all if levelling up is to be a success.

“From automotive in the West Midlands, to aerospace in the South West, and from the Holyhead Hydrogen Hub in Wales to the Golden Triangle of research and innovation in the South East – the UK is rich in clusters of excellence.

“These strengths can equip communities to forge and grow unique identities on a global stage.”