The economic prospects of our two major city-regions need to be a central focus of economic policy in Scotland. We need policy to work for the areas which house a substantial chunk of our population and economic activity.

A focus on city-regions is a key feature of the UK industrial strategy released in late June. Here, city-regions are designated as key places to support sectors and clusters that will drive productivity growth. Indeed, Glasgow and Edinburgh both feature in the strategy, while Aberdeen and Dundee also get a mention.

One issue concerning Scottish city-regions, however, is the governance arrangements needed to sustain them. South of the border, Greater Manchester is widely held up as the poster child for the localist turn in sub-national English governance, and the prominence and convening power of Andy Burnham, the directly elected mayor, is now widely cited.

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'We are not alone in our disappointment' for Glasgow

This has led to a recent flurry of media and advocacy concerning the need for directly elected mayors, and combined authority arrangements, here in Scotland. The argument seems to be that, if it works for Greater Manchester, then it will (hopefully) work for the Glasgow........

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