England needs a stronger framework for international engagement as new research highlights untapped regional potential beyond London.
England’s cities and regions have significant untapped potential when it comes to international engagement – but a new report suggests that an outdated and fragmented approach is holding back places outside the capital.
The report, one of the most substantial examinations of the topic to date, finds that local and regional international activity remains unevenly supported and poorly connected to national policy, meaning the UK may be missing opportunities for investment, jobs and influence
From the Local to the Global: A New Framework for Devolution and Diplomacy was produced by researchers at City-REDI, the University of Birmingham’s City-Region Economic Development Institute. Among its authors is Andrew Stevens, Head of Research and Policy at the Japan Local Government Centre (JLGC), whose work on UK-Japan local government relations helped shape the report’s examination of international partnerships and sub-national diplomacy.
As devolution expands across England, the report argues that local and regional leaders are increasingly operating on an international stage. Strategic authorities, local councils, universities and civic institutions are seeking to attract investment, support exports, develop innovation partnerships and build international influence. Yet unlike many comparable countries, England lacks a coherent framework to support this activity. This growing role for local and regional governments in international affairs is increasingly recognised around the world. JLGC previously supported the formation of the G7 Urban7 (U7) group of national mayors’ associations, which recently met for the first time as a formally recognised G7 engagement group in Nancy, France, ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit.
One of the strongest examples identified in the report is the Toyota City Partnership Board, a long-standing UK-Japan partnership that shows how international relationships can evolve from civic exchange into a practical tool for economic development, skills collaboration and regional growth.
Established in 1998, the partnership brings together Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, South Derbyshire District Council and Toyota City Government in Aichi Prefecture. Originally created in recognition of Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK’s Burniston plant, it has grown into one of the UK’s most durable and strategically focused local international partnerships.
The report highlights how the Board has moved well beyond the traditional town-twinning model. It operates through a formal governance structure with rotating leadership, agreed terms of reference and pooled financial contributions from its partners. Funding has been secured until 2028, providing a continuity that many international partnerships struggle to achieve.
What makes the partnership particularly significant is its ability to align international engagement with economic priorities. The Board gives local government leaders, businesses and other stakeholders a regular forum to engage on issues including advanced manufacturing, workforce skills, exports and industrial transition.
Toyota remains central to this story. The company has invested £2.82 billion in the UK, employs more than 2,300 people at Burniston and produced more than 98,000 vehicles in 2024. The partnership has helped support the wider ecosystem around that investment, including initiatives such as the Derbyshire Japanese School, which assists Japanese employees and their families living in the region.
The report also notes how the partnership has adapted to England’s changing governance landscape. The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) is now represented on the Board, while Toyota UK also participates in EMCCA’s Business Advisory Board. This has strengthened the connections between the partnership and wider regional economic priorities, recognising that Toyota’s economic footprint extends across the East Midlands rather than stopping at local authority boundaries.
The practical value of the relationship was demonstrated in 2025 when the Board supported the Midlands Innovation and East Midlands Mayor’s trade mission to Japan and South Korea. Long-established networks helped facilitate engagement at a time when the region was looking to strengthen international links and promote investment opportunities.
The significance of the Toyota City Partnership Board reaches beyond the East Midlands. It illustrates one of the report’s wider arguments that successful international engagement depends on long-term commitment, institutional capacity and strategic alignment. The partnership has endured for almost three decades because it has evolved alongside changing economic circumstances while maintaining a clear sense of purpose.
This is where the report’s international comparisons become particularly relevant. A recurring theme throughout the research is that countries such as Japan have developed more mature systems for supporting local and regional international engagement. Rather than leaving individual local authorities to pursue international activity on their own, engagement is more often supported through dedicated institutions, long-term strategies and stronger links between local and national priorities.
England still has some way to go, the report argues, with capacity varying considerably between places and coordination between different levels of government often limited – even as cities like London and Manchester demonstrate what is achievable.
To help close that gap, the report sets out a series of recommendations: a national framework for sub-national diplomacy, a clearer strategy, stronger coordination between Whitehall and devolved institutions, dedicated support for local international activity and a new International Growth Fund aimed at building long-term capacity across the country.
The Toyota City Partnership Board also brings to life one of the report’s central arguments. Successful international engagement rarely grows from one-off initiatives. It depends on long-term relationships, institutional capacity, dedicated resources and clear strategic objectives. These are precisely the conditions that England, according to the report, should seek to replicate far more widely.
The report was written by a team of researchers from several universities including City-REDI at the University of Birmingham, with Andrew Stevens contributing as Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS), Newcastle University. JLGC had no editorial role in the report, which remains the opinion of its authors.
