Sarah Champion MP Urges Major Rethink on ‘Levelling Up’

Sarah Champion MP, Member of Parliament for Rotherham has urged the Government to rethink its approach to ‘Levelling Up’ after the latest round of the Government’s flagship programme awarded significantly greater funding to London and the South-East than to Yorkshire.

The second round of Levelling Up funding saw projects in Yorkshire receive just £120m. In contrast, projects in London and the South-East were awarded more than £210m.

Sarah’s intervention comes after recently published figures revealed that Rotherham received just £12,543 per person in government spending in the 2021-22 financial year, an increased deficit over London of 3.9% over 2019-20. Figures also revealed that transport spending in the region stood at just £453 pp against £905 pp in London and the South-East.[i]

In a letter to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Sarah urged a major rethink from the Government, saying:

“I cannot fathom how this goal is to be achieved if the Levelling Up fund continues to entrench that disparity by favouring funding for the South-East. Without a major change in approach, the gap between North and South will not simply remain, but indeed will continue to widen.” 

Commenting, Sarah said:

“The Government claims that its Levelling Up fund is about closing the gap between the capital and areas that, like Yorkshire, have traditionally lagged behind when it comes to government spending and investment. It therefore bizarre that vastly more funding has been awarded to London than to Yorkshire.’

‘Levelling Up is nothing more than a buzzword. The Government has shown all to clearly that, whatever, it claims, it is simply entrenching existing inequalities.’

‘If it is serious about developing the Northern economy and investing in our communities, it should put its money where its mouth is. This is simply more of the same from a Government that neither understands, nor cares about the North.”

Sarah’s letter is available HERE

[i] Figures are available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/uk-levelling-up/rishi-sunak-relaunch-government-funding-pledge-2023.html