Regional Cities East

Who we are

Regional Cities East is an alliance of six cities in the East of England supported by the East of England Regional Development Agency and the Government Office for the East of England.

The six cities, Peterborough, Luton, Ipswich, Norwich, Colchester and Southend-on-Sea, believe that by sharing best practice, collaborating on joint ventures and setting clear priorities, they can create more jobs and affordable homes than they could by working alone. They share a common belief - that medium sized cities can deliver economic growth in a sustainable way. And they face common challenges – to improve infrastructure and skill levels.

Our Vision

Peterborough, Luton, Ipswich, Norwich, Colchester and Southend will deliver more wealth, jobs and homes by collaborating than by competing. Through the Regional Cities East (RCE) partnership, they will deliver a step change in economic and housing growth with benefits to all sections of the community, and will set an example for other groups of smaller cities who may establish partnerships of their own. In so doing, RCE will help the UK as a whole to harness the economic, social and cultural potential of its smaller cities.

Our Approach

RCE, supported by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the Government Office for the East of England, will take an urban-led approach to development. This will focus on the power of cities and their functional urban areas (FUAs - the economic footprint of each city) to drive economic growth in the East of England and the capacity of cities to accommodate sustainable housing and employment growth. The members of RCE will collaborate across city boundaries to develop strong FUA partnerships with neighbouring district and county authorities plus other partners. They will agree clear priorities for investment, share best practice, capitalise on collective assets, allow each FUA to focus on its particular strengths, and exploit the economies of scale inherent to a larger network.

Our targets and proposals are tightly drawn and focused solely on the region’s challenging growth agenda. Even here, we are only looking to engage where we can add real value and complement work already being undertaken at regional and sub-regional level. We intend to lobby, facilitate and add capacity in those key areas where we can really help to deliver on the ground.

Our Objectives

The RCE partnership aspires to establish the first ever formal framework for cross boundary co-operation between local authorities without common geographical boundaries.

RCE is currently engaging with other groups of smaller cities to encourage them to establish partnerships of their own in order that the UK can take greater advantage of the economic and cultural assets of its smaller urban areas.

Our prospectus shows how we can meet the challenges, through a partnership-based solution:
1. Partnership between RCE and surrounding district and county partners
Collaborations with local partners responsible for transport, education and health care will play a crucial role in delivering a more prosperous and sustainable region for all.

2. Partnership between RCE and the region
EEDA and the Government Office for the East of England have been instrumental in supporting RCE and compiling this prospectus. RCE enjoys the ongoing support of, among others, the East of England Regional Assembly, Homes & Communities Agency, Renewables East and Arts Council East of England.

3. Partnership between the cities themselves
RCE believes that we can deliver more jobs and homes in a sustainable way by collaborating rather than by competing with each other. Local authority Leaders from all political parties agree about this and have come together to compile the prospectus.

4. Partnership between RCE and Government
This prospectus outlines a number of enabling measures needed by RCE. These measures and the outcomes they are intended to deliver should be the subject of a single Multi-area Agreement between the six cities and the Government. Support for this proposal is vital if we are to meet our challenging targets.

For further information about RCE and its objectives, please consult:
- Core documents
- FAQs

RCE City characteristics

RCE is a group of leading towns and cities in the East of England that are defined by the following characteristics:

They are ambitious and have an externally focused agenda. Specifically this entails a keen desire to:
- Play a leading role in the region in order to support the region’s economy and raise the national and international profile of the region.
- Play an active and promotional role in the delivery of the city-region metropole model.
- Work in partnership, both with their respective sub-regional partners and as a collective.

They are leading regional centres that are economic drivers of functional economic areas and are characterised by sectors or clusters of international significance.

They have an appetite for sustainable growth and are willing to deliver significant amounts of housing and employment. They collectively aim to deliver, and hopefully surpass, 2021 economic and housing growth targets.

They have an existing further or higher education presence or a strong commitment to developing one of international significance.

They have existing or developing identifiable cultural ‘assets’ of at least regional significance.

They are major service centres for their sub-regions.