Deals hand cities greater powers.

The Government has announced greater devolution of powers allowing greater investment to boost the economies of some of England's largest cities.

Local authorities will be given greater freedom to borrow and increased responsibility for regional transport links, such as the rail networks in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.

The new deals follow the granting of similar extra powers to Liverpool and Greater Manchester.

Announcing the new agreements, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said they would free the cities from Whitehall control and represented a "dramatic power shift" to the regions.

He said: "These groundbreaking deals signal a dramatic power shift, freeing cities from Whitehall control. Everyone in these eight core cities will feel the benefits - from young people looking for jobs to businesses looking to expand."

The exact powers granted vary according to each specific deal, but the cities believe the agreements will enable them to create 175,000 jobs over the next 20 years and 37,000 apprenticeships.

Copyright Press Association 2012