The latest UK Powerhouse report from Cebr and Irwin Mitchell comes at a time of significant economic and political uncertainty.

The previous report in the series analysed city economic growth in the third quarter of 2015 and provided a forecast for what is likely to happen in 2016.

At the time, the economy was performing reasonably strongly and although some of our largest cities revealed healthy growth and job creation, there were signs that the headwinds were getting stronger for the 12 months ahead.

The message from this latest study is that economic growth has slowed again with business confidence and investment levels falling. When the influence and uncertainty caused by the EU referendum next month is added into the equation, it’s clear that the commercial environment has become even more challenging.

One of the key aims of Cebr/Irwin Mitchell’s UK Powerhouse reports is to provide a timely look at how city economies are doing whilst also assessing the effectiveness of the Government’s wealth spreading agenda.

So far, it appears that very little headway is being made. Many of the slowest growing places are located in the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ and indeed the forecasts point to the gap between the North and the South East getting even wider.

Although much is made of closing the North/South gap, it is important to remember that a strong London economy is vital to the UK economy as a whole. No one can argue against the importance of ensuring wealth is spread widely, but it’s important to remember that our ‘global powerhouse’ in London is vital.

To read more click here, Irwin Mitchell-UK Powerhouse Mini Report April