Aditya Palve
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highlights · 14
Bristol was awarded £123,814 for three toilets.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The EconomistThe system of bidding for Treasury cash has made British cities into perpetual supplicants.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The EconomistIn Britain just 6% of taxes are raised locally. Local authorities levy taxes linked to the value of property and keep some business rates, but these do not fund all their operations—and they are in charge of much less than Swedish local authorities.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The EconomistAlmost half of the financing for the West Link railway comes from Gothenburg and other local governments, mostly from the congestion charge. “As a city we have a lot of say,” says Mr Wingqvist. “But it comes at a high price.”
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The EconomistGothenburg and its neighbours smile on development not because they are cool and rational but out of self-interest: more people means more taxpayers. They build roads and tram lines to keep the economy humming.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The Economist“In general, yes.” The city levies an income tax of 21%, while the region of which it is part tacks on another 11% (the national income tax, paid only by high earners, is 20%). As well as planning and transport, the city and region handle education, welfare and health care. Overall, 37% of tax in Sweden is raised locally. Swedish cities and regions have become mightier, grabbing powers from central government and accounting for a growing share of the tax take.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The EconomistGothenburg’s gdp has grown more quickly than Bristol’s too—a remarkable feat given the failure a decade ago of Saab Automobile, a carmaker that employed many local inhabitants.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The EconomistBuilding on the outskirts of Bristol is extremely hard, no matter what the landscape looks like. Local politicians zealously police the huge 717-square-kilometre green belt, a no-build zone around the city and its near neighbour, Bath. Mr Norris has tried to persuade them to agree on a plan that would prioritise certain places for new housing and offices, to no avail. Talks collapsed earlier this year amid much anger.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The EconomistThe gulf between the two cities is even larger when it comes to planning and housing.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The Economistut it has neither a municipal tram network nor an underground railway. In 2004 the government in Westminster offered money for a tram line, which might have been the first of many. But local politicians could not agree a route, and the opportunity was lost. They still do not agree.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The Economist. So does the real cause of its problems. Bristol, and by extension all British metropolises, do not have the means or the incentives to transform their fortunes. Until they do, a government hungry for growth is likely to be disappointed.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The EconomistOutput per person in his area’s hotspot, Bristol, is 19% higher than the national average.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The Economistcity is already thinking about another major railway,
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The EconomistBuses were deregulated and privatised by central-government fiat in the 1980s, as in most British cities. That stripped local politicians of powers—Mr Norris complains that he does not even control the bus stops—and left Bristol and its neighbours with a confusing variety of transport options. Ticket pricing is complicated and changeable. The main railway station is a 20-minute walk from the main bus station. By contrast, Gothenburg’s transport app sells tickets that can be used interchangeably on trams, buses, trains and ferries, and tells you when everything is due to arrive.
British cities have far too little power, and it’s holding them back | The Economist