Provincial cities in southern England with ‘strong local authorities' show the strongest potential for economic growth, beating underperforming mets and most cities in the north, according to a report published today by consultancy PwC and think-tank Demos.

Oxford, Bournemouth, Swindon, Reading and Milton Keynes were the top performers in the report, which ranks Britain's 50 largest cities between 2018 and 2020.