English cities lag behind their European counterparts

According to a report released in June 2003, 'Cities, Regions and Competitiveness', even England's most successful regional cities lag behind their European counterparts in terms of competitiveness. The study looked at eight English cities and compared them with 10 European cities, considering a range of indicators including innovation, economic diversity, workforce quality and connectivity (which covers IT and transport).

http://www.urban.odpm.gov.uk/publications/cities/pdf/cities.pdf http://www.urban.odpm.gov.uk/publications/cities/pdf/cities.pdf

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