Cities Northwest

England's Northwest is a £98 billion economy with 6.8 million people and 230,000 firms. It is home to the largest media hub outside London (Manchester), one of the world's most famous waterfronts (Merseyside), and the largest concentration of advanced manufacturing and chemicals production in the UK (Lancashire and Cheshire).

While recent performance has been higher than the average for other English regions, the region is still not contributing what it could to the UK's economy, and serious economic and social problems remain.

Overall, economic forecasts suggest that the next few years will be tougher for the region, in part due to population change and tighter public spending.

This book brings different ideas and perspectives together to contribute to the debate. It is clear that there is no one model for all cities in the Northwest, let alone the rest of England. Regional and local differences require devolved and flexible policies if the economy is to succeed.

Centre for Cities has re-launched as an independent think tank. You can visit them online at http://www.centreforcities.org.