Core Cities Group facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Core Cities Group

Established	1995
Headquarters	Manchester Town Hall
Region served	United Kingdom
Director	Stephen Jones
Chair	James Lewis
Staff	4

The Core Cities Group (also known as Core Cities UK) is a special team of large cities in the United Kingdom. These cities are all outside of Greater London. They work together to make their cities better.

The group started in 1995. It includes twelve city councils: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Sheffield.

The Core Cities Group helps with many important things. These include transport, new ideas for businesses, jobs, making communities strong, culture, and dealing with climate change. In 2012, eight of these cities were called "the largest and most important English cities outside of London." By 2020, the group's cities had a combined population of over 6 million people. It is seen as one of the most powerful groups that speaks up for cities in the country.

History of the Core Cities Group

The Core Cities Group began in 1995. It first had eight cities that were important local areas. These cities were Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Sheffield.

These cities joined together because they wanted more freedom and control. They felt that too many decisions were made by the central government in London. They wanted to make more choices for their own areas. These eight cities are also part of a bigger European network called Eurocities.

In 2003, a government leader, John Prescott, spoke to the group. He suggested that helping these Core Cities grow would also help the whole country.

Over time, more cities joined the group. In August 2014, Glasgow became the first city from outside England to join. Cardiff joined later in 2014. Then, Belfast joined in 2019, and Edinburgh became a member in 2025.

In 2018, the leaders of the Core Cities met with mayors from different city regions. They talked about how cities could work together even better. In October 2018, the group released a report called "Cities 2030: Global Success, Local Prosperity." This report talked about how British cities could become even stronger economically.

How Core Cities Work with the Government

More Power for Cities

The Core Cities Group has done a lot of research. This research shows that cities become stronger when they have more control over their own money and decisions. This idea is called "devolution." It means giving more power from the central government to local cities.

In 2011, the group helped change a law to allow cities to have more control. Because of this, many "City Deals" were made in 2012. These deals gave cities more power over things like housing, transport, and planning. Some cities even got new elected mayors to lead these efforts.

In 2015, the group asked for even more devolution for cities in England. They wanted powers similar to those in Scottish Parliament. They also wanted cities to have more control over their own money by 2025. In 2020, the Core Cities Group and London's councils agreed to ask for more financial control. This included being able to introduce a "tourism tax" and change local taxes.

Other Important Topics

The Core Cities Group is very interested in the High Speed 2 project. This is a plan to build faster train lines between major British cities. The group believes this project will bring many economic benefits to their cities. In 2019, the chair of the group, Judith Blake, said that HS2 would create new jobs and training opportunities. She believed it would help millions of people in the Midlands and the North of England.

The group also talked with the European Union and the British government during the Brexit negotiations. Many people in the Core Cities voted to stay in the EU. The cities had received a lot of money from EU projects. Because of this, the group asked the government to keep supporting these projects after Brexit. They also met with the main European negotiator. In 2019, the city leaders asked the Prime Minister to avoid leaving the EU without a deal.

After Brexit, the Core Cities Group received money from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This fund was set up to continue investing in towns and cities. However, the group felt the amount was not enough. They asked for more money to help their work grow even more.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the Core Cities Group asked for special "City Recovery Deals." They also wanted a "Cities Recovery Fund." This was to help cities get back on their feet financially after the lockdowns. In May 2020, the group reported that their councils needed more financial support from the government.

Members of the Core Cities Group

City	Country	Local authority	Leader (political party)		City population (2021)	Urban area population	Metro area population
Belfast	Northern Ireland	Belfast City Council		Micky Murray	348,005	-	799,000
Birmingham	England	Birmingham City Council		Chamam Lal	1,157,603	2,440,986	3,683,000
Bristol	England	Bristol City Council		Tony Dyer	479,024	617,280	1,041,000
Cardiff	Wales	Cardiff Council		Huw Thomas	372,089	447,287	1,097,000
Edinburgh	Scotland	City of Edinburgh Council		Jane Meagher	514,990
Glasgow	Scotland	Glasgow City Council		Susan Aitken	622,820	1,209,143	1,395,000
Leeds	England	Leeds City Council		James Lewis	822,483	1,901,934	2,302,000
Liverpool	England	Liverpool City Council		Joanne Anderson	496,770	864,122	2,241,000
Manchester	England	Manchester City Council		Bev Craig	568,996	2,553,379	2,556,000
Newcastle	England	Newcastle City Council		Nick Kemp	307,565	774,891	1,599,000
Nottingham	England	Nottingham City Council		David Mellen	328,513	729,977	1,534,000
Sheffield	England	Sheffield City Council		Tom Hunt	566,242	685,368	1,569,000