“It was divine nature that gave us the country, and man's skill that built the cities.”
So said an ancient sage. And he was right. Our ancestors built well. But their work was in decay. And we sought the rebirth of their cities for today's people.
Two years ago I launched a special programme for inner cities.
It is a drive:
— To step up the momentum to improve our inner cities and make their decay a thing of the past.
— A drive to improve city life as a whole
— And to involve industry and commerce without which no city can thrive.
And I added “it can be done” .
And I can report today that, not only can it be done, but it is being done. And the results are there to see. I am determined that every part of Britain—yes every part—will share in our rising prosperity.
So let's look at some of the things that have happened in our inner cities over the last few years.
Here in Bradford, the National museum of photography, film and television, and the city's association with the Brontes and J. B. Priestley, have made it a magnet for tourists as well as a great asset and a pleasure for its residents.
On Teesside and on Tyne and Wear, investment by new companies like Nissan and Fujitsu have breathed new life into the North East.
On Merseyside exciting developments—like the Brunswick enterprise centre, the Mercury court office development and a major scheme to help develop the waste land next to the Anglican cathedral—are restoring prestige and bringing new heart to the area.
In Manchester and Birmingham there has been massive investment in new factories and offices, and the city centres are being re-built.
In Leicester, traditional industries like knitwear have been revitalised by the use of the latest automated methods, and the Leicestershire asian business association is developing the skills and enterprise of local people. [end p1]
And areas like Brixton are being transformed by employment schemes, like the Brixton young persons job club where four out of five young people are getting jobs, and the renovation of buildings like St. Matthew's church to provide better services for the community.
In each place I have selected just a few examples of the marvellous, wonderful things that are happening.
How has all this come about?
Well we wouldn't have achieved it unless our policies had created a fundamentally strong and enterprising business environment. An environment where:—
— Business investment has broken new records.
— More people are in work than ever before in our history.
— And where the living standards of the average family have risen by a third over the last decade.
You can't breathe new life into cities unless business enterprise is creating the activity—the means—the wealth—to finance it. And its that activity which creates the jobs which are the basis of our prosperity.
And you need the right social policies to bring new hope and to restore people's self esteem.
So we've brought in reforms for housing, education and health which are creating new opportunities and higher standards.
We've also developed a whole range of measures to meet the special needs of our inner cities:
— Urban Development Corporations to get things moving—there are ten now.
— Safer cities to tackle crime.
— City technology colleges and partnerships between companies and schools to give young people a good start in life.
— Estate action to improve housing and living conditions.
— And city action teams to get everything pulling together.
I want to make two announcements today to underline our commitment to our inner cities.
First, total government spending in the inner cities in the [end p2] coming year will set a new record—listen to it—some £4 billion. That's the money that we, as government, judge the taxpayer is able and ready to spend.
And it brings in massive support from the private sector too. In the Urban Development Corporations alone, £800 million of taxpayer's money has generated over £7 billion pounds of private sector investment. That's a real example of business in the community.
Second, the government is going to move another 1,700 jobs away from Whitehall. That's the number of jobs the customs and excise is moving from the South East to Manchester and Liverpool. That's on top of the two thousand London jobs in the Department of Health and Department of Social Security which we have recently announced are being moved to Leeds.
And another fifteen thousand civil service jobs the government has moved from the South-East since 1979.
So let there be no doubt about the government's commitment.
But make no mistake about one thing.
The government can spend billions on inner cities: Prime ministers and members of government can make umpteen speeches in praise of inner cities: and opposition parliamentary spokesmen can go on and on and on—to coin a phrase—about the need to do more for them.
But the key to success is the drive and enthusiasm that come from team work.
Our inner cities are improving today because the government is co-operating with:
— local councils, like Bradford;
— local industry, commerce and retailing;
— local schools;
— local police;
— and above all, giving local people a bigger say and a greater choice.
And together we are winning.
I want to pay tribute to the many companies and firms who are supporting local enterprise agencies and their managers who are helping inner city communities.
They are forming local business leadership teams.
They are working closely with the schools and further education colleges.
And now the new training and enterprise councils will be making sure that local people are trained for the jobs available now, and also for the high-tech and high-service jobs of tomorrow. [end p3]
For all these reasons, I am particularly glad that we have both national and local business leaders with us here today. I want to say thank you to all concerned.
I am sure it must have brought you a great sense of personal satisfaction and achievement to be a part of the re-building our new cities. But it could not have been done unless all these actions found a response from within the communities themselves.
So, to mark the second anniversary of action for cities, we are issuing a new report called ‘People in Cities’.
It shows how people are taking advantage of the new opportunities they have helped to create.
Every area is developing its own ideas and initiatives. But I've no doubt that there's a lot that one area can learn from another. So I commend the report to you all.
Now we move forward into the third year of action for cities.
It's a long-term task to transform our cities for the next century. We have to keep at it. It will require a sustained effort from us all.
Much has already been achieved. Much remains to be done.
So let me just conclude with some words from the great and ancient city of Athens. “Not houses finally roofed. Nor the stones of walls well builded. Nor canals and dockyards make the city. But men who use the opportunity” .
You are those men and women. I wish you every success.