THE chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce has warned that cities in Scotland must be vigilant about what their counterparts in England are gaining by way of devolution to avoid being disadvantaged.

 

Stuart Patrick's comments follow the new Conservative Government's emphasis of its ambitions to create a "Northern Powerhouse" in England.

Mr Patrick highlighted Greater Manchester's success in winning decision-making powers, in areas including transport and health spending, and in securing resources.

He said: "We in Glasgow [and] all cities in Scotland have to be looking at what all the cities in England are gaining by way of devolution. We don't want to fall behind the productivity performance of the other UK cities because they have got more control over the levers than we do."

Writing in The Herald today, Mr Patrick says: "We believe that almost everything Manchester is seeking in greater economic development power is just as relevant to Glasgow."

Mr Patrick also expressed concerns that Glasgow could eventually lose out on investment to Manchester given plans for the HS2 high-speed rail project.

He said: "I am envisaging an HS2 that finishes in Manchester and they [the city leaders] are out there saying to the American bank, 'Really our connections to London are so much better than Glasgow. You can't get HS2 up to Glasgow. I really think you want to put your bank here'."