Susan Aitken has been Leader of Glasgow City Council, the local government authority for the UK’s fourth largest city, since May 2017. A prominent figure in the local political scene, she has been a key spokesperson for the Scottish National Party on health and social care. Susan led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, in which Glasgow was the second most affected after London. She was also integral in the city hosting COP26.

In this conversation, Susan shares insights about the role of local government in fostering a vibrant, innovative economy, the things civic leaders can do to combat the climate crisis, and the partnerships that cities are forming to hasten transformation. Have a listen to hear about what makes a great city tick and the influence government – local government – has on driving social and economic innovation.

We also discuss:

• How hosting COP26 catalysed genuine progress towards a net zero future in Glasgow
• How one of Europe’s preeminent post-industrial cities is emerging as a global innovation centre
• More about Glasgow’s leading position in the high tech, including the space race where Glasgow is the second biggest satellite building industry outside of the United States
• How Glasgow is preventing its innovation economy becoming elitist
• The way city leaders are driving economic transformation through partnerships between the public, private and academic sectors.
• How a unique collaboration between Scotland's eight cities and the Scottish Government is delivering inclusive growth across the region.

Selected links:

Glasgow’s Industrial history https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/victorian/trails_victorian_glasgow.shtml#:~:text=The%20Industrial%20Revolution%20took%20hold,the%201840s%20formed%20the%20workforce

UN outcomes of COP26 in Glasgow https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop26

Sustainable Glasgow partnership https://sustainableglasgow.org.uk/

The Space sector in Scotland https://www.gov.scot/policies/manufacturing/space-sector/

Scottish Cities Alliance https://scottishcities.org.uk/

UK’s core cities https://www.corecities.com/

City Centre Recovery Task Force https://www.gov.scot/publications/report-city-centre-recovery-task-force/

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