The UK2070 Commission is an independent inquiry into city and regional inequalities in the United Kingdom. It has been set up to conduct a review of the policy and spatial issues related to the UK’s long term city and regional development.
The Commission will run in three phases, from July 2018 to February 2020, involving commissioned technical work and evidence gathering; an widespread consultation across the whole UK. The key events will be:
- Formal launch at the House of Lords (October 9th 2018)
- Stage 1 Report highlighting issues, options and with provisional recommendations (May 2019)
- The Report on its Findings and a 10-Point Action Plan (February 2020)
The UK2070 Commission is now committed to securing the implementation of this 10-Point Action through thematic programmes and place-based initiatives.
The UK2070 Commission founding partnership is between the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the University of Manchester, the University of Sheffield and University College London; with generous help from the Sir Hugh and Lady Sykes Charitable Trust in collaboration with both the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (the RSA) and the Common Futures Network. ; along with additional project management and facilitation support provided by Turner & Townsend.
The Commission’s work is underpinned by the generous contributions of time, effort and resources by the Commissioners and their respective organisations. This includes support for specific programme activities by AECOM; Barton Willmore LLP; Cambridge University; Cardiff University; the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute for Public Policy Research; Leeds City Council; Liverpool University; the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, North West Business Leadership Team and the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Purpose
The persistent inequalities between the cities and regions of the nation need to be challenged. Cities and regions are increasingly taking ownership of this challenge through the devolution agenda, yet deeper structural inequalities cannot be tackled by local action alone. A national framework is needed.
This need is heightened by the political and economic uncertainties brought by Brexit, by COVID-19 and by the global challenges of technological and climate change. A sustainable and people-centred approach to urban and regional development in the UK is needed to provide a clearer vision of their common future.
With the publication of the National Infrastructure Plan, the Industrial Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan, it is critical that we understand how such plans and activities will be coordinated. This would then facilitate wider long-term goals for levelling up the UK and transitioning to a zero-carbon economy, maximising benefits across different parts of the UK.
The UK2070 Commission’s findings:
- Illuminates the imbalances in the nature of economic activity, including patterns of investment, wealth, taxation and public expenditure, and the related social and environmental conditions across the nation;
- Illustrates the potential of national spatial economic frameworks which enable and support local action and priorities; and
- Identifies a 10-Point Plan needed to address regional imbalances, including governance and fiscal instruments such as local taxation, land value capture and intergovernmental transfers.
Why 2070?
The reference to 2070 is an explicit recognition that the timescales for successful city and regional development are often very long, in contrast the short-termism of political cycles.
This is reflected in the UK’s experience of major infrastructure (e.g. the motorway network and New Towns programme) and development programmes (e.g. the development of the NHS).
If the UK is to be successful in bringing about a new framework for city and regional development that can actually be realised, it needs to think long-term.
The Aims of the Commission
The UK2070 Commission aims to:
- Reinforce the devolution agenda for cities, regions and nations to maximise their potential for sustainable and inclusive growth;
- Add value to the emerging range of national strategies for planning, housing, industry, land use, environment and infrastructure – through greater integration and clarity in their place-based implications;
- Develop more inclusive and empowering approaches to national and strategic decision-making; and investment for regions, cities, towns and communities; and
- Draw on UK and international experience in tackling issues of spatial inequalities.
