Cameron appoints Greg Clark MP as the new Minister for Cities

By Tim Montgomerie
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One story we missed last week (it was quite busy!) was the decision to appoint Greg Clark as a new Minister for Cities. Commenting at the time Greg Clark said:

"I am thrilled to be appointed Minister for Cities. For Britain to be successful, Britain's cities need to be successful. Our cities generate well over half of our wealth and are home to the majority of our businesses and our leading universities. If our cities do well, the country does well. I am looking forward to working with the leaders of Britain's cities to ensure that the Government does everything possible to help urban Britain thrive".

Initially Clark will focus on the so-called 'Core Cities' outside of London; Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Sheffield.

The announcement was warmly welcomed by the Yorkshire Post although it wished it had happened sooner.

Although the title is Minister for the Cities one insider described the position as "Minister for the North". Greg is the comprehensive school-educated son of a milkman from Middlesbrough.

Clark is one of three ministers to operate across two departments. As Minister for Cities he'll report to Vince Cable in addition to his present responsibilities for decentralisation under Eric Pickles. The other two cross-department ministers are John Hayes (Business and Education) and Nick Herbert (Home Office and Justice).

Greg Clark is today part of a concerted push by the Coalition to prove that it is serious about growth. Clark has announced a "dramatic simplification of planning guidance to encourage sustainable growth". Read more here. The Prime Minister, meanwhile, has unveiled a £25 million boost to the apprenticeships scheme. The £25m will be used to "support up to 10,000 advanced and higher apprenticeships in industries including manufacturing, IT and engineering".

> Follow Greg Clark MP on Twitter.