Local government shake-up: British cities seek to raise own taxes and go it alone

Author: Hannah Fearn, The Independent   |  

Some of Britain’s biggest cities are attempting to escape from government control, using widespread public interest in devolution to launch their own bid for freedom, following the referendum on Scottish independence and as part of a nationwide shake-up of local government.

The largest and most successful cities outside London will seek to raise and keep their own taxes, establishing a US-style system of governance where they have full power over their finances and local public services.

Ten cities – Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Cardiff and Newcastle – have joined together to form the Core Cities group, which has already convinced the Chancellor, George Osborne, and the Treasury to grant Greater Manchester new funding and freedoms and a new, directly elected mayor.

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