Introduction
The Yorkshire Cities network is a collaboration between 10 local authorities (Bradford, Calderdale, Doncaster, Hull, Kirklees, Leeds, North East Lincolnshire, Sheffield, Wakefield and York) in the Yorkshire and Humber region, supported by Yorkshire Forward, which looks at research and policy development around urban and economic issues.  The main aim of ‘Yorkshire Cities’ is to improve the economic competitiveness of the region through its main urban centres. 

Why Yorkshire Cities?
The Yorkshire and Humber region has a distinctive urban geography with main of its main economic assets concentrated in the major town and cities of the region.  Over 50% of economic activity (measured by GVA) and 50% of the population are in the region’s largest urban areas.

Major towns and cities are increasingly seen as drivers of the economy – with the concentration of knowledge based assets and connectivity required to compete in an increasingly globalised economy.  The work of Core Cities and, more recently, the State of the Cities research carried out by government reinforces the role of urban areas in economic growth.

The region and its major towns and cities have improved their economic performance overall in the last decade, albeit with significant variations between places.  However, there remains much to do in economic terms to lift overall performance and contribute to regional and national targets for economic development.

There is a perception that there is gap in strategic capacity to better develop urban policy across major towns and cities, and to make links between city regions.   Yorkshire and Humber Key Cities made a start at addressing the gap in capacity, but in order to respond to the needs of the region and the wider issues outlined above, we have agreed to move to a new set of arrangements which are:

• appropriate – i.e. primarily focused on urban and economic policy as it affects our major cities and towns;
• collaborative – i.e. focused on working together; and
• additional – i.e. adding value to existing activity at local, city regional and regional levels; and is not being done elsewhere.

We have agreed to use ‘Yorkshire Cities’ as our identity for the work of the network as this reflects the subject matter, our aspirations and provides a clear identity to the outside world.

Cities and city regions
Our major towns and cities are at the focal point of the generation of new knowledge and its exploitation for economic advantage.  They are the creative melting pots that shape new ideas and innovation – brought about by the scale and density of economic activity and the proximity to people, facilities, networks and companies that urban areas offer. 

The relationship between cities and city regions is important. They are part of wider regional economic agenda and are mutually interdependent. The role of the main urban centres, including the central ‘core’ city warrants consideration in policy terms.  City regions are representative of the functional economic space around a central city – the reach of labour markets, functioning housing markets, leisure, cultural and retail offers etc.  City regions have a set of mutually reinforcing relationships and assets with the urban areas at their heart.  City regions provide the labour market supply, range of housing and quality of life opportunities to attract and retain a supply of key workers to meet demands.  Within the city regions, the main urban areas act in varying degrees as the economic engines for their city regions

Yorkshire Cities has identified the need both to join up activities across the region’s three city-regions (Hull and the Humber Ports; Leeds; and Sheffield) as well as help articulate in policy terms the relationships between the major towns and cities and their respective city regions.