LEVELLING UP THE UNITED KINGDOM.

The UK Government recently published its White Paper on Levelling up.  The paper sets out the next stages of the programme in the long-term, that is based on evidence, to demonstrate that a mix of factors is needed to transform places and boost local growth.  The aim is to: –

A. Boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector, especially in those places where they are lagging;
B. Spread opportunities and improve public services, especially in those places where they are weakest;
C. Restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost; and
D. Empower local leaders and communities, especially in those places lacking local agency.

The drivers for Levelling up can be achieved through 6 capital drivers, namely: –

  • Physical capital – infrastructure, machines and housing.
  • Human capital – the skills, health and experience of the workforce.
  • Intangible capital – innovation, ideas and patents.
  • Financial capital – resources supporting the financing of companies.
  • Social capital – the strength of communities, relationships and trust.

Levelling up will also be about systems change which will reverse embedded historical trends.  This will include setting out clear ambitions, moving 22,000 Civil Servants out of London by 2030, empowering decision-makers in local areas, transforming the approach to data and evaluation to improve local decision-making, establishing a statutory duty to publish an annual report analysing progress and the creation of a new external Levelling Up Advisory Council.  The UK Government is also committed to facilitating collaboration and engagement with the devolved governments and stakeholders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that Levelling up really is for the whole of the United Kingdom.

Levelling up is not about making every part of the UK the same or pitting one part of the country against another. Nor does it mean dampening down the success of more prosperous areas.  It’s about extending opportunity across the UK to relieve pressures on public services and housing, plus improving well-being and productivity in the North, Midlands and other parts of the UK.

A link to the Levelling up Executive Summary can be found here.

The full White Paper can be accessed via this link: Levelling Up the United Kingdom White Paper.