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Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has unveiled plans to rebalance inequalities between the UK’s regions with the publication of the government’s Levelling Up White Paper.
The Levelling Up White Paper sets outs in detail the action the government proposes to take to deliver on its ambitions to increase prosperity in the regions beyond London and the South East, and what it aims to have achieved by 2030.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:
“The United Kingdom is an unparalleled success story. We have one of the world’s biggest and most dynamic economies. Ours is the world’s most spoken language. We have produced more Nobel Prize winners than any country other than America.
“But not everyone shares equally in the UK’s success. For decades, too many communities have been overlooked and undervalued. As some areas have flourished, others have been left in a cycle of decline. The UK has been like a jet firing on only one engine.
“Levelling Up and this White Paper is about ending this historic injustice and calling time on the postcode lottery.
“This will not be an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but our 12 new national levelling up missions will drive real change in towns and cities across the UK, so that where you live will no longer determine how far you can go.”
The White Paper sets out 12 ‘missions’ for government to work towards by 2030, covering a range of social and economic factors where there are significant disparities between regions and are set to be put into law in an upcoming Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. These include:
- pay, employment and productivity will have risen in every area of the UK, with each containing a globally competitive city, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing
- domestic public investment in Research & Development outside the Greater South East will increase by at least 40%
- local public transport connectivity across the country will be significantly closer to the standards of London
- nationwide gigabit-capable broadband and 4G coverage, with 5G coverage for the majority of the population
Plans proposed by government also include building on devolution deals with Mayoral Combined Authorities such as Greater Manchester and expanding their powers, while also creating a new MCAs for other counties nationwide. The government aims for all regions of the UK to have been offered a devolution deal by 2030. Under such deals, a £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be decentralised to local leaders as far as possible.
