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Rachel has welcomed new research from the "Centre for Cities", saying that cities including Leeds are crucial to national economic recovery.

Responding to the research, Rachel said it confirmed that the routes that will see us out of this global recession will be local and regional.

As well as calling for an effort to strengthen our skills based economy, Rachel made the case for Leeds to be at the heart of the green financial services revolution, and build on the strengths of our regional economy.

Rachel praised the work of Yorkshire Forward in supporting the city through the recession, and highlighted the roles of national policies such as the Future Jobs fund, and Response to Redundancy, which have provided crucial support during the recession.

Looking forward, cities such as Leeds are central to national economic recovery:

"The economy is at a turning point, and the policies we pursue today will shape the economy of the future. To succeed we need excellent local leadership and a national government who will support us. As the Centre for Cities work shows, strong city economies are essential for a thriving and sustainable national economic recovery."

Rachel's response to the research was published by the Independent online.

The Centre for Cities is a non-partisan research and policy institute.