What is the levelling up strategy?

Michael Gove has finally fleshed out plans to “level up” the country and narrow the great disparities being faced across the UK.

But what are the details of the white paper spanning more than 330 pages that was published by the Levelling Up Secretary on Wednesday.

It was a key slogan of Boris Johnson’s 2019 election campaign but ministers have all too often been at pains to define what it actually is.

The ambition is to address the vast regional inequalities across the UK but without, as the Prime Minister puts it, “cutting down the tall poppies” or trying to “hobble” wealthy areas.

Now there are a dozen national “missions” to be met by 2030 setting out to give real-world substance to the slogan.

– What are Mr Gove’s missions?

Pay, employment and productivity must rise in “every area” in the UK, while local public transport across the country must become “significantly closer” to London’s standards.

Other targets include 90% of primary school children in England achieving the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, while homicide, serious violence and neighbourhood crime must fall.

The gap in healthy life expectancy between the best and worst performing areas must narrow, with the measure rising by five years by 2035.

– What else?

Mr Gove set out plans for 20 new urban regeneration projects across the Midlands and northern England, with £1.8 billion in new housing projects.

He also highlighted £5 billion of investment in bus services and “active travel”.

More than £100 million was committed for “innovation accelerators” aiming to replicate the success of Silicon valley in the West Midlands, Glasgow and Greater Manchester.

More regional mayors in England could be created under a strategy to increase devolution and transferring powers held in Whitehall to local leaders.

– Is all this new?

Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy argued that the plan falls far short of what the country needs.

“Ministers have had two and a half years to get this right and all we been given is more slogans and strategies, with few new ideas,” she said.

“Boris Johnson’s answer to our communities calling for change is to shuffle the deckchairs, new government structures, recycled pots of money and a small refund on the money this Government have taken from us.

“This is not what we were promised.

“We deserve far more ambition this.”

Labour also pointed to the Tories’ record in office since 2010 “turbocharging the decline of our communities”.

– Where’s the money?

Coronavirus presented a major disruption to setting out the flagship aspiration, but the exorbitant sums spent to protect people and livelihoods have now constrained the levelling up strategy.

Rather than new funding coming from the Treasury, the money to cover the schemes in the strategy all comes from allegations previously set out in the spending review.

– What is the view outside Westminster?

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said the strategy was lacking in fresh ideas and funding.

The Labour politician said: “If ‘levelling up’ was supposed to be the Prime Minister’s defining mission then I am sorry to say that it is going to be Mission Impossible with this thin gruel on offer.

“Although there were a few encouraging elements, it is largely a rehashing of things we have already heard before.

“On the whole though, it reads like a recipe cooked up during Veganuary – something severely lacking in meat.”

North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll said the missions are “sound” but said the Government needs to “write a cheque” to deliver them.

Tory West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said the White Paper would “finally address the imbalance of opportunities across the UK”.