Whitehall-based civil servants should be forced to swap jobs with their regional counterparts in order to address London’s poor national reputation, according to a thinktank.
Just 16% of non-Londoners feel that the capital contributes a lot or a fair amount to their local economy and there is a widespread feeling that London gets more than its fair share of public money, the Centre for London found.
Researchers suggest the mayor of London should launch a domestically targeted campaign, entitled London is Yours, to win the hearts and minds of those living outside of the M25.
In the 2016 EU referendum, London voted 60–40 to remain while much of the rest of England voted to leave the EU.
Civil servants in Whitehall should also be expected to undertake temporary job swaps with local government officials, including those in London boroughs, “to provide greater experience and insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by elected authorities beyond Westminster”, the report suggests.
It also urges national museums in London to send its treasures out on tour across the UK more often, and proposes the idea of intercity school exchange programmes “to help build a stronger sense of collective national identity”.
“London must demonstrate that it cares, and that it wants to perform better in its civic duty as a capital city, as well as its global role,” said Jack Brown, the report’s author, who travelled across the country last year asking for views on London and its dominance. “In an increasingly polarised and volatile climate, there is a risk that the capital could become a victim of its own success if it does not act to strengthen ties with the rest of the UK.”
Brexit is likely to “exacerbate inter-regional tensions”, Brown believes. The treasury’s own forecasts predict that Brexit will affect London’s economy the least, with the local economies of leave-voting regions expected to be left the worst off.
There is also a lack of clarity about how the new shared prosperity fund will apportion money across the UK to replace EU regional funding, which tended to be concentrated in the most disadvantaged regions of the UK.
“There is a further risk that powers that come back to the UK as a consequence of ‘taking back control’ from Brussels will be hoarded in Westminster and Whitehall,” Brown said, adding: “Central government must commit to a major review of where power lies in the UK, and appoint a cabinet minister for devolution to oversee the process.”
