Leaders of the 10 Core Cities are due meet in London with communities secretary Greg Clark this morning to hold talks aimed at resolving the ‘productivity puzzle' that has bedevilled the UK's economy since the financial crash of 2008.

The discussions are likely to focus on the recently published cities and local government Bill – which Whitehall officials have termed a big enabling piece of legislation – and how the provisions could help boost jobs, growth and enable reformed public services.

Recent research conducted by the think-tank ResPublica showed greater devolution of powers could help the eight English Core Cities alone to deliver an additional £222bn GVA and create 1.16 million jobs by 2030 - the equivalent of adding the entire economy of Denmark to the UK.