The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations (Michael Gove) Madam
Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the
Government’s plans to level up and unite our country. The White
Paper we are publishing today sets out our detailed strategy to
make opportunity more equal and to shift wealth and power
decisively towards working people and their families. After two
long years of covid, we need to get...Request free trial
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations ()
Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the
Government’s plans to level up and unite our country.
The White Paper we are publishing today sets out our detailed
strategy to make opportunity more equal and to shift wealth and
power decisively towards working people and their families. After
two long years of covid, we need to get this country moving at
top speed again. We need faster growth, quicker public services
and higher wages, and we need to allow overlooked and undervalued
communities to take back control of their destiny.
While talent is spread equally across the United Kingdom,
opportunity is not. Our country is an unparalleled success story,
but not everyone shares in it. The further a person is from one
of our great capitals—whether it is London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or
Belfast—the tougher life can be. For every local success, there
is a story of scarring and stagnation elsewhere, and that must
change. We need to tackle and reverse the inequality that is
limiting so many horizons and that also harms our economy. The
gap between much of the south-east and the rest of the country in
productivity, in health outcomes, in wages, in school results and
in job opportunities must be closed. This is not about slowing
down London or the south-east, or damping down animal spirts, but
rather about turbocharging the potential of every part of the UK.
This country will not achieve its full potential until every
individual and community achieves everything of which they are
capable. Our economy has been like a jet propelled by only one
engine, now we need to fire up every resource that we have.
The economic prize from levelling up is potentially enormous. If
underperforming places were levelled up towards the UK average,
unlocking their full potential, this could boost aggregate UK GDP
by tens of billions of pounds each year. So, how do we achieve
success? First, we do so by backing business. The economic growth
that we want to see across the UK will be generated by the
private sector, by businesses and entrepreneurs investing,
innovating, taking risks and opening new markets. We will support
them every step of the way, by cutting through the red tape, by
making it easier to secure investment and, as our White Paper
today outlines, by creating the right environment on the ground
for business.
As the Chancellor laid out in our Plan for Growth, we need to
invest in science and innovation, improve infrastructure and
connectivity, and extend educational opportunity to underpin
economic success. This White Paper makes clear our commitment to
improve education, investment and connectivity fastest in those
parts of the country that have not had the support that they
needed in the past. We have set out clear, ambitious missions,
underpinned by metrics by which we can be held to account to
drive the change that we need.
On productivity, science and innovation, our mission one is that,
by 2030, we pledge that pay, employment and productivity will
have risen in every area of the UK, with each containing a
globally competitive city; closing the gap between top performing
areas and the rest. Mission two will see a massive increase in
domestic public investment in research and development outside
the greater south-east, increasing by at least a third in the
next three years, and we will use the shift in resources to
leverage private sector investment in the areas that need it
most.
On infrastructure and connectivity, we will have better local
transport, bringing the rest of the country closer to the
standards of London’s transport system. We will also improve
digital connectivity, with billions of pounds of investment,
bringing nationwide gigabit-capable broadband and 4G coverage to
the whole UK, and we will expand 5G coverage to the overwhelming
majority of the population.
On education and skills, we will effectively eradicate illiteracy
and innumeracy, with investment in the most-underperforming areas
of the country. There will be 55 new education investment areas
in England alone, driving school improvement in the local
authorities where attainment is weakest. Our sixth mission is to
have new high quality skills training, targeted at the lowest
skilled areas, with 200,000 more people completing high quality
skills training annually.
We know that, to achieve these missions, we will need smart,
targeted, Government investment. That is why we are investing
more than £20 billion in research and development to create a
science and technology superpower. Today, we are allocating £100
million specifically to three new innovation accelerators in the
west midlands, Glasgow and Greater Manchester. It is also why we
are investing £5 billion in bus services and active travel, with
new bus investment today in all our mayoral combined authorities
and the green light for bus projects in Stoke-on-Trent,
Derbyshire, Warrington and across the country. It is also why we
are investing in new academies, new free schools and new
institutes of technology. Today, we are establishing a new
digital UK national academy—just as the UK established the Open
University to bring higher education to everyone, we are making
available to every school student in the country high quality
online teaching, so geography is no barrier to opportunity.
We will also use the freedoms that we now have outside the EU to
reform Government procurement rules to ensure that the money that
we spend on goods and services is spent on British firms and
British jobs. We will unashamedly put British workers first in
the global race for investment. Economic opportunity, spread more
equally across the country, is at the heart of levelling up, but
levelling up is also about community as well. It is about
repairing the social fabric of our broken heartlands, so that
they can reflect the pride we feel in the places we love. That is
why we are investing in 20 new urban regeneration projects,
starting in Wolverhampton and Sheffield and spreading across the
midlands and the north, with £1.8 billion invested in new housing
infrastructure to turn brownfield land into projects across the
country like Stratford and King’s Cross in London.
By regenerating the great cities and towns of the north, we can
relieve the pressure on green fields and public services in the
south. A more productive, even prouder and faster-growing north
helps improve quality of life and wellbeing in the south, which
is why we are refocusing housing investment towards the north and
midlands.
Our housing mission is clear: we will give renters a secure path
to greater home ownership, we will drive an increase in
first-time buyers and we will deliver a tough focus on decent
standards in rented homes. A new £1.5 billion levelling-up home
building fund will give loans to small and medium-sized builders
to deliver new homes, the vast majority of which will be outside
London and the south-east. Our housing plans will set a decent
minimum standard that all rented properties must meet.
Our White Paper this spring will include plans to cut the number
of poor-quality rented homes by half, address the injustice of
“no fault” evictions and bear down on rogue landlords, thereby
improving the life chances of children and families up and down
the country.
We will also take action in law to tackle the problem of empty
properties and vacant shops on our high streets. Building on the
work of my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent North
(), we will ensure that
properties cannot remain unloved and unused for months, dragging
down the whole high street. Instead, we will put every property
to work for the benefit of the whole community.
Also central to improving quality of life for all will be further
investment in sport, culture, nature and young people. That is
why we are investing £230 million extra in grassroots football
and using the community ownership fund to help fans take back
control of clubs such as Bury FC. It is also why every extra
penny of Arts Council spending will now be allocated outside
London, from celebrating ceramics in Stoke to supporting pride in
British history in Bishop Auckland. There will also be another
£30 million allocated to improving parks and urban green spaces,
as well as plans to re-green all of our green belt.
We will also invest an additional £560 million in activities for
young people, and we will invest in reversing health disparities,
tackling obesity and improving life expectancy. We will also
ensure that the communities in which we are investing are safer
and more orderly. Fighting crime and antisocial behaviour is
essential to giving communities new heart, so we will invest an
additional £150 million in our safer streets fund and ensure that
those who drag down our communities through vandalism, graffiti
and joyriding pay back their debt to those communities. They will
be set to work on improving the environment, cleaning up public
spaces, clearing away the drug debris in our parks and streets
and contributing to civic renewal.
Critical to the success of our missions will be giving
communities not just the resources but the powers necessary to
take back control. That is why our White Paper sets out how we
will shift more power away from Whitehall to working people. We
will give new powers to outstanding local leaders such as and Ben
Houchen—[Interruption]—and, indeed, . We will create new Mayors where people want them, we
will give nine counties including Derbyshire and Durham new
powers as trailblazers in a programme of county deals and we will
strengthen the hand of local leaders across the country.
We will also take back control of the money that the EU used to
spend on our behalf, ensuring that local areas can invest in
their priorities through the new UK shared prosperity fund. With
power comes responsibility, so we will also ensure that data on
local government performance is published so that we can hold
local leaders to account.
Central Government will report back to this House on our progress
against our missions and on the impact all our policies have on
closing geographical inequalities. Because building long-term
structures matters, we will also create the institutions,
generate the incentives and supply the information necessary to
drive levelling up for years ahead.
This White Paper lays out a long-term economic and social plan to
make opportunity more equal. It shifts power and opportunity
towards the north and midlands, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland. It guarantees increased investment in overlooked and
undervalued communities, in research and development, in
education and skills, in transport and broadband, in urban parks
and decent homes, in grassroots sport and local culture and in
fighting crime and tackling antisocial behaviour. It gives local
communities the tools to tackle rogue landlords, dilapidated high
streets and neglected green spaces, and it demonstrates that this
people’s Government are keeping faith with the working people of
this country by allowing them to take back control of their
lives, their communities and their futures.
I commend this statement to the House.
2.54pm
(Wigan) (Lab)
After all the delays, all the slogans and all the big promises,
is this it? Is this really it? The sum total of ambition for our
proud coastal and industrial—[Interruption.]
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. The Secretary of State was heard with respect. I do not
expect the shadow Secretary of State to be shouted out.
Conservative Members do not disrespect us when they chunter and
jeer; they disrespect the people of this country.
Seriously, is this it? The sum total of ambition for our coastal
and industrial towns, our villages and our great cities is a
history lesson on the rise of the Roman empire, and Ministers
scurrying around Whitehall, shuffling the deckchairs and cobbling
together a shopping list of recycled policies and fiddling the
figures. Is this really it?
For some of us, this is personal. We have lived these failures
every single day. We have watched good jobs go, our high streets
boarded up and young people who have had to get out to get on.
The Secretary of State talks about Bury FC. My step-dad was a
lifelong supporter of Bury FC, a regular at Gigg Lane and his
last words to my step-brother before he died were, “What’s the
score?” If he were alive today, he would never forgive the
Government for standing aside while this asset at the centre of
Bury’s community was allowed to collapse.
This system is completely broken, and the Secretary of State has
given us more of the same. This was meant to be the Prime
Minister’s defining mission of Government. I am not surprised he
was too embarrassed to come here today and defend it himself. It
is so bad that even the Secretary of State has privately been
saying that it is rubbish. They tell us to wait till 2030, but
where have they been for the last 12 years? I will tell them
where—in Whitehall, turbocharging the decline of our communities,
and cutting off choices and chances for a generation of young
people.
The Secretary of State talks about 12 missions, but this is 12
admissions of failure. Let us take one of them. Only two thirds
of children leave primary school with the basic skills to get on.
Forgive me if I have missed something, but was he not the
Education Secretary for four years? What about this? The
Government want to tackle crime, but on their watch fewer than
one in 10 crimes are solved and nearly all rapes go unprosecuted.
No one listening to this would think that he had been in charge
of the Ministry of Justice.
This is a Government in free fall—out of ideas, out of
energy—with recycled, watered-down ambitions. None of this is
new. In fact, some of it is so old that one of the better
announcements that caught my eye was actually made in 2008 by
and has been running ever
since. Across our home towns, we have seen good jobs disappear
and far too many young people who have had to get out to get on.
This does nothing to address that.
The Secretary of State talks about a Medici-style renaissance,
but can he not see what is happening in front of his eyes? Our
high streets are struggling because the local economy is
struggling. People do not have money to spend in our shops, our
businesses and our high streets, and the Government are about to
hike up their taxes. This does nothing to address that. What we
needed was a plan to connect our towns and villages to jobs, to
opportunities and to our family and friends, but they have halved
the funding for buses and scrapped the rail promises to the
north, and where is the digital Britain we were promised?
We do not need to look to Rome, Jericho or renaissance Florence
for inspiration, because in Preston, Wigan and Grimsby, people
are delivering real change for themselves, not because of their
Government, but despite them. Imagine what we could do if they
would get out of the way and give us back the power that we
demand to make decisions for ourselves. [Laughter.] Well,
Conservative Members laugh. They do laugh—they have been laughing
at us for years—and here it goes again.
It is absurd that we have to go cap in hand to Westminster to do
things that we know will work for us. Do not believe me; believe
the former Mayor of London, who in 2013 demanded powers that are
nowhere to be seen in this report. We asked for powers, and we
got a process. Where are the powers we were promised? Seriously,
we have the arrogance of a Chancellor sitting in Whitehall,
drawing lines on a map, choosing which of us have earned the
right to have some say on the decisions that affect not their
lives, but our lives, our families and our communities.
The Secretary of State talks about London-style regeneration. My
colleagues in London will talk proudly about the London they call
home, but not every part of this country wants to be the same. We
have our own identities. We are proud of our own places. We
believe in our communities and we believe in our people, and we
deserve a Government who back us, not the smoke and mirrors that
we have been handed today.
The Government have given more to fraudsters than they have given
to the north of England. For every £13 they have taken from us,
they have given us £1 back. We get a partial refund and they
expect us to be grateful. [Interruption.] I will give the House
an example. The Mayor of Greater Manchester today raised broken
promises on rail, and he was told by one of the Government’s MPs,
“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
It is not their money; it is ours. Imagine what we could achieve
if we had a Government with an ambition for Britain that matched
the ambition of the people in it. We could build good jobs in
every community. There is a global race to create these jobs, and
we will bring them here so that young people in our coastal and
industrial towns can power us through the next generation, like
their parents and grandparents powered us through the last. In
every community in this country, people know that we can do so
much better than this, with well-paid jobs and money back in
people’s pockets to genuinely transform our high streets. We can
reform business rates to back our bricks and mortar businesses.
We can be buying, making and selling more in Britain and have an
educational recovery plan that stands as a testament to our
commitment to the young people who make this country what it is.
That is our mission, and today we have learned one crucial thing:
for all the spin and all the gloss, the Government will not do
it, because they do not believe in this country—we will.
[Interruption.]
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. I think you are preventing the Secretary of State from
speaking. I suggest that a modicum of silence from those on the
Back Benches would be welcome.
I have enormous respect and affection for the hon. Lady, but at
the end of her response, I do not think I heard a single
question, nor did I hear her disagree with a single policy that
we have put forward. She is in distinguished company; she joins
other Labour colleagues who have welcomed the White Paper, such
as , the Mayor of West Yorkshire,
who said there is
“lots to be pleased about”
in it, and the Mayor of South Yorkshire, who said on Sunday that
he warmly welcomed the support that we were giving to Sheffield
and that it was
“much needed recognition of the potential”
of that great city. I am glad that the hon. Lady is in good
Labour company in welcoming the White Paper.
The hon. Lady mentioned Bury FC, and she suggested that this
Government had stood aside. I am sorry, but this Government
provided £1 million to the fans of Bury FC so that they could
take back control of the club. It was not Labour Bury Council but
Tory Ministers who saved that football club for its fans.
She asks where we have been over the past 12 years and about my
time as Education Secretary. My mother said self-praise is no
honour, but since the hon. Lady asks, there were more good and
outstanding schools as a result. We closed the gap between rich
and poor, we extended opportunity and we ensured that illiteracy
and innumeracy were tackled.
The hon. Lady also says that we need more good jobs. I completely
agree. That is why we have a plan for growth and she has no plan.
She says that we need to revive our high streets. I completely
agree. That is why we have a plan for investment, and the
Opposition have no plan. She says that she wants improved
connectivity. That is why we have ensured that gigabit
connectivity has gone from 10% to 60% in the past two years, and
they have no plan. She says that she believes in devolution. We
have nine county deals and powers for Mayors. The only devolution
in England that Labour ever offered was to London. It did nothing
for the north and midlands when it came to devolution. She said
she wants safer town centres. Why is it, then, that every time we
have brought forward policies for tougher sentences in this
House, Labour has voted against? It has no plans, no idea and no
answers.
The Opposition also ask about new money. Do they not remember
that wrote in 2010 when the Labour
Government left office that there was no money left? Now, they
are so fiscally inconstant that they say they want simultaneously
not to have a national insurance increase and to cut other taxes,
and at the same time to increase public spending. Our commitment
to abolish innumeracy cannot come quickly enough, starting with
the Labour Front Benchers. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor
has committed £500 million to tackling adult innumeracy; we know
where that funding should go first. If they had their way,
borrowing would go up, interest rates would go up, and the
poorest in the north and midlands would lose out; instead of
levelling up, they would bring the economy crashing down. That is
why we never need to have those Front Benchers in power in this
country ever.
Several hon. Members rose—
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. A little reminder that the Secretary of State should not
refer to hon. Members by name.
It is going to require a lot of self-discipline if we are to have
any chance of getting everybody in, so I ask for very short
questions. The Father of the House will provide a marvellous
example of that, I am sure: .
(Worthing West) (Con)
I say to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State that those
in the south-east hope this will be successful, giving
individuals opportunity and changing the economic geography of
the parts of this country that need to be connected to the
thriving country we hope to create together. Will he heed council
leaders such as Councillor Kevin Jenkins in Worthing, who wants
Ministers to pay attention to things that they could do that
would help and to stop doing things that do not help, because all
over the country we need Ministers to pay more attention to local
leaders?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and in the levelling-up White
Paper there is a commitment to ensure greater devolution all
round. I signalled the county deals we are green-lighting for
Derbyshire and Durham, but we are also devolving more power to
local authorities across the country, including through the new
UK shared prosperity fund. He is also right to remind us that,
while deprivation is concentrated disproportionately in the north
and midlands, there are pockets of genuine poverty in communities
such as Worthing and Hastings that we need to pay close attention
to.
(Edinburgh East) (SNP)
This is somewhat underwhelming, is it not? Not so much a dead cat
as a damp squib. This might have been an opportunity to bring
forward proposals for the modernisation of government in these
islands, to devolve further powers and competence to the national
Administrations, and to do something about the asymmetric and
centralised mess that is the government of England, but, no, what
we are promised is that in eight years’ time we will get a better
bus service. It is, frankly, insulting given the amount of
political capital that the Government have invested in this. This
is a Government who have broken trust with the British people,
and getting it back will require people and policies of
substance, rather than glib soundbites and photo opportunities
for Ministers in hard hats and hi-viz vests. The statement
literally has nothing in it for the people I represent in this
House, but we will watch with interest as this con is perpetrated
on the people of the north of England.
Meanwhile, in Scotland we have another Brexit betrayal: the
replacement funds for the EU structural funds are falling £900
million short, and control is being centralised to Whitehall.
That is what we are receiving from this Government, and that is
why more and more people are turning to the option of political
independence for their country.
My central question is this: how does this square with the rest
of the Government’s policies? We have a chronic and increasing
problem with inequality in Britain, yet everything this
Government do seems to make it worse: the decision to cut
universal credit and the below-inflation increases in other
benefits are driving the gap between rich and poor even higher;
so, too, is the decision to increase basic rate taxes and not to
increase taxes for those who can most afford them; and so, too,
is the Government’s inaction and unwillingness to do anything
about the cost of living and spiralling energy bills. So my
question, Secretary of State, is this: given all of that—given
the Government’s policy in the round—is this not just a piece of
meaningless window dressing?
The short answer is no. The longer answer is this: we work in
partnership with the Scottish Government, and we recognise their
devolved responsibilities, but people in Scotland pay their taxes
to have two Governments working together for them, and that is
what we have done. The levelling-up fund has ensured that there
has been investment in North Ayrshire, in Edinburgh and in
Aberdeen, to help communities and councils led by Scottish
nationalist councillors, and that has been backed by SNP MPs. The
UK shared prosperity fund has also guaranteed funds going to
Scotland, ensuring that Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and
Cornwall receive every bit as much outside the EU as they ever
did within it, but with our control of that funding, not the
European Union’s.
Today, we have announced additional funding for an innovation
accelerator in Glasgow. In Glasgow University and the University
of Strathclyde, Glasgow has two of the United Kingdom’s leading
research universities. We are supporting and backing them. I
explained to the First Minister last night how important it was
that we worked together, and we will seek to work together.
When it comes to inequality, the Scottish Government have
presided over growing inequality in education outcomes in schools
in Scotland. We want to work with them to reverse that. When it
comes to devolution, rather than devolving more powers to local
government in Scotland, as we are doing in England, the Scottish
Government have centralised powers. The Convention of Scottish
Local Authorities has been eloquent in complaining about that.
Again, that is a devolved matter, but if the critique from the
hon. Gentleman is to carry force, it is vital that he recognises
the beam in his own eye before pointing out the mote in
others.
(Tunbridge Wells) (Con)
What the towns and cities of our country need is ambition,
investment and encouragement, not the negativity and neglect that
I am afraid they have experienced under the Labour party over the
years. As a Teessider born and bred, and as someone who
negotiated and signed the devolution deal with Teesside six years
ago, I am proud to see it leading this White Paper thanks to the
great progress it has made under .
Does the Secretary of State recognise that building on such
successful policy innovations is the best way to go, rather than
needing to start from scratch in every case? In that context,
does he recognise that the role of universities and scientific
institutions, which are strong in the regions, is a good place to
invest and to drive further prosperity across the UK?
My right hon. Friend was a brilliant Secretary of State both for
Communities and Local Government and for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy. He was, more than anyone else—apart from the
former Chancellor, the former right hon. Member for
Tatton—responsible for extending devolution across England. He is
absolutely right: this is a model that works and on which we can
build. He is also absolutely right to say that higher education
is critical to the economic future of the north and the midlands,
where we have outstanding universities. The increased research
and development spending that we are announcing today will be
directed towards those excellent institutions. Whether for life
sciences in Newcastle, renewables in Teesside or materials in
Manchester, we will be working with those universities to revive
the north and the midlands.
Madam Deputy Speaker
I call the Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Committee.
(Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State for an advance copy of the White
Paper, although I have to admit that I have not quite read it all
yet.
When the Select Committee has looked at this issue in the past,
we have agreed that local councils have to be key to delivering a
levelling-up agenda, and that means a devolution framework, with
all councils getting real new powers and real new resources to
deliver. When I looked at page 140, I saw the words “devolution
framework”, and I was encouraged. Will the Secretary of State
confirm, however, that in that list of powers, there is not a
single new power? All the powers in there are already available
to at least some local authorities, and all this framework does
is enable more local authorities to have those powers. What is
certainly not set out is a list of new resources that will be
available to enable the spread of existing powers to more local
authorities to be delivered in practice. Will he confirm those
two things?
It is a typically fair and informed question from the hon.
Gentleman. What the framework does lay out is how local
authorities that have fewer powers can acquire more, and how we
can have a convergence towards a model, which not every part of
the country will necessary want to adopt, that is closer to the
level of power and autonomy that the Mayor of London exercises.
We are completely open, and we have said so, to negotiating with
local areas on the acquisition of further powers.
I should also say that the UK shared prosperity fund prospectus
that we are publishing today makes it clear that lower-tier local
authorities especially will have additional resources, through
the UKSPF, to enhance their ability to serve their citizens.
(Newton Abbot) (Ind)
I congratulate the Secretary of State on his “Levelling Up”
paper, but particularly mission 7 to level up health outcomes and
wellbeing. Will he meet me to discuss levelling up health and
care provision in rural areas as part of that mission, a
blueprint for which was published yesterday in a report
co-authored by the all-party parliamentary group on rural health
and social care, which I chair, and the National Centre for Rural
Health and Social Care?
Yes, I absolutely will. The hon. Lady makes an important point.
Of course improving economic productivity is at the heart of
levelling up, but we also need to tackle unfair health outcomes.
Within the White Paper, we have details of how we are proposing
to do so, not least taking forward some of the recommendations of
Henry Dimbleby’s national food strategy, which outlines how we
can effectively tackle obesity—one of the greatest drivers of
diabetes, which is one of the greatest drains on NHS
resources.
(Bradford West) (Lab)
I wrote to the Secretary of State on 19 January and I have not
had a response to that letter, but in it I cited research from
Utopia, which, after analysing 34 cities and towns, found that
Bradford needed the most development and infrastructure support.
We have lost out on Northern Powerhouse Rail, stifling £30
billion-worth of investment over the next 10 years. We have been
given crumbs. What is he doing for my constituents in Bradford
West—he has mentioned nothing in his statement today—after
failing them time and again with the NPR?
The hon. Lady is right. Bradford is a fantastic city—it has seen
significant investment, not least in cultural renewal, and it has
a wonderful university—but it also has areas of real deprivation,
not least in the constituency that she represents. I look forward
to working with her, and with and municipal leaders in
Bradford, to ensure that the policies in the White Paper can
deliver for her constituents.
(Ashford) (Con)
I very much welcome this White Paper—a genuinely one-nation
Conservative document. I particularly commend my right hon.
Friend and his colleagues on the health commitment it makes. Five
years’ extra healthy lifespan will be absolutely critical in
spreading opportunity not just to disadvantaged people but to
disadvantaged communities, because health inequalities hold
people back almost more than anything else. Frankly, we can have
all the transport infrastructure we like, but if people in middle
age are too unhealthy to lead full lives and to stay in work,
they cannot benefit from it. Will he go into a bit more detail
about how he will achieve that ambition?
Absolutely. My right hon. Friend is right: this is a one-nation
document that is in that Conservative tradition. He is also
absolutely right that addressing health inequalities is vital,
not just to relieving pressure on the NHS for taxpayers but to
giving people the full lives that they deserve. We outline in the
White Paper some of the steps that we are taking, not least to
deal with obesity, but, in addition, my right hon. Friend the
Health Secretary will be bringing forward a health inequalities
White Paper a little later this year, and I will be working with
him to take forward some of the insights of Professor Michael
Marmot and others about what the drivers of health inequalities
are and how we can tackle them.
(Barnsley Central) (Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State and the Under-Secretary, the hon.
Member for Harborough (Neil O’Brien), for the briefing that they
gave to the Mayors and myself yesterday. However, it is a
shameful indictment of our country that, for too long, where you
grow up has determined where you end up. We all know that to
address these challenges requires transformational resources.
What more can the Secretary of State do and how can we help him
to get the Chancellor to provide additional resources to deliver
on the plan that he has brought forward?
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for making that point. I hope
to have the chance to visit him in Sheffield before too long to
discuss how we can use some of the funding that was allocated in
the spending review more effectively on his behalf, and how we
can ensure that future spending commitments from the Chancellor
and from others serve the people whom he serves.
(Wokingham) (Con)
I welcome the emphasis on personal journeys and improvement of
free enterprise. Freeports can make a great contribution to that,
so will the Government bring forward a freeport for Northern
Ireland to show that it is properly part of the United Kingdom
and, with it, to see off the EU threat to our Union?
My right hon. Friend makes an important point. The Government are
committed to ensuring that we have two additional freeports in
Scotland, at least one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland, and
announcements on those should be forthcoming shortly.
(East Antrim) (DUP)
I welcome the White Paper and the Government’s paying attention
to levelling up across the United Kingdom—as a Unionist, I see
that as important to assure citizens they are considered part of
the United Kingdom. However, many people in Northern Ireland will
say that new red tape as a result of the Northern Ireland
protocol is strangling our economy. How do the proposals in the
White Paper benefit people in Northern Ireland in terms of
education, jobs, research, housing, crime and so on? How does the
Secretary of State seek to level up Northern Ireland through
that?
The right hon. Member makes a series of good points. First, I
absolutely understand the problems with the protocol, and my
right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is working incredibly
hard to tackle them. Secondly, we recognise that the Northern
Ireland Executive exercise devolved responsibilities in a number
of areas, but we can help: additional funding for research and
development means that Queen’s University Belfast and the
University of Ulster can get additional funding to create the
jobs that Northern Ireland requires. The broader economic
strategy that we outline in the White Paper is designed to help
every part of the United Kingdom, and, through the UK shared
prosperity fund, there will be additional funding. UK community
renewal funding and levelling-up funding has been distributed to
communities in Northern Ireland, but we need to do better in
ensuring that it reaches those who deserve it most, not least
those in areas such as Larne and Glenarm in the right hon.
Gentleman’s constituency.
(Rutland and Melton)
(Con)
Leicestershire and Rutland councils were some of the worst funded
in the entire country—until today. Thanks to the Secretary of
State, Leicestershire is one of the nine counties that will be
negotiating a county deal. Will he please reassure me that when
he negotiates a deal for Leicestershire, he will include Rutland,
which cannot go for its own county deal? It needs a sidecar deal.
Will he also help us level up pride by coming to visit our
wonderful area?
That is an offer too good to resist. I will say two things.
First, Leicester and Leicestershire have much to offer, but there
are also significant pockets of deprivation not just in the city
but in rural Leicestershire that we must tackle. My hon. Friend
is right that the county deal that we are proposing will—I
hope—help. Secondly, I know that Rutland’s independence is
cherished by its people and its Member of Parliament, but on this
occasion there can be—how can I put it—a fruitful union between
Leicestershire and Rutland, and I would like to see that
advance.
(Newcastle upon Tyne
North) (Lab)
The Secretary of State will know the impact of growing up poor on
health, education and life chances, because it is well
documented. But, even before the pandemic, two in five children
and young people in the north-east were growing up in poverty, so
it is hard to understand why the White Paper does not address the
lack of cross-Government strategy to tackle child poverty. If
levelling up is to mean anything, surely it must address that
issue in the north-east.
The hon. Lady makes a good point. Indeed, there is a commitment
in the White Paper to additional funding for the supporting
families programme —previously the troubled families
programme—which helps to address many of the drivers of child
poverty. Of course, I would be the first to acknowledge that
there is more to do, and in communities in Newcastle—in
Longbenton and elsewhere—there are real challenges that we need
to work with Newcastle City Council to overcome. The council’s
Labour leader is someone with whom I think we can do
business.
(Rossendale and Darwen)
(Con)
I welcome the White Paper. I am sure that the Secretary of State
would acknowledge that delivering foreign direct investment is
key to levelling up the north and beyond. Would he consider a
13th mission: to double FDI in the north of England by 2030?
May I thank my right hon. Friend? Many of the best ideas in the
White Paper are the fruit of work that he and the Northern
Research Group of Conservative MPs have conducted. The paper that
he co-wrote for the Centre for Policy Studies, “A Northern Big
Bang”, has influenced our thinking in a number of areas, not
least unlocking additional private sector investment. My noble
Friend Lord Grimstone, the Department for International Trade
Minister, now leads the Office for Investment, and one of his
missions is to increase FDI, particularly in the north and
midlands. I look forward to working with Lord Grimstone and my
right hon. Friend to ensure that east Lancashire is at the front
of the queue for that investment.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and for the
White Paper, which is very thoughtfully put together—not least
because the foreword by the Prime Minister is on a detachable
page. That is great.
One page that appears to have already been detached, however, is
the bit that refers to rural Britain. I am really concerned that
there is very little concern in the document for levelling up the
rural parts of our country. In Cumbria, we have three-hour round
trips for cancer treatment and a threat to our local A&E
department, and our villages and communities are being cleared by
second homes and Airbnb. I would be delighted to work
constructively with the Secretary of State, and I would love if
it he agreed to meet me so that we can talk about some answers to
the housing catastrophe affecting not just Cumbria, but the rest
of rural Britain.
I have to say, I agree with almost everything the hon. Gentleman
said. First, it is important that we focus on rural poverty;
secondly, there are unique issues in Cumbria. Local government
reorganisation, with the creation of one new authority in
Cumberland and one in Westmorland and Furniss, will contribute to
ensuring that we have a proper focus on those, but we need to go
further. He is also right that the issue of second homes and
their impact on local economies is a complex one. We are not in
the right place yet, and I want to work with him and other
colleagues to address it.
(Great Grimsby) (Con)
It was wonderful to be able to welcome my right hon. Friend to my
constituency this week to see the amount of levelling up that is
needed and the work we are doing with our local council to
achieve it. Does he agree, however, that it is about not just
school education, but technical education for our young and older
people—something new Labour was able to decimate very effectively
when it was in power, but which is vital to matching up jobs and
opportunities to level up areas such as Great Grimsby?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. If we think about the
technical institute in Grimsby, which was a source of pride and
high-quality further education, some of the changes that the new
Labour Government made undermined that centre of excellence. One
thing we are clear about in the White Paper is the importance of
ensuring that further education is aligned with the needs of
local employers. In Grimsby and north-east Lincolnshire, as part
of the renewables revolution led by the Business Secretary, there
is now a chance to ensure new jobs, investment in FE and a
recognition of the link between the two, so that in Grimsby
people can stay local, but go far.
(City of Chester)
(Lab)
I always enjoy listening to the Secretary of State, who is always
very articulate and performs well at the Dispatch Box. I wish him
well in the forthcoming Tory leadership election. There is an
obsession, which he has illustrated today, with elected Mayors; I
understand he has briefed them, but not the leaders of local
authorities. In Cheshire West and Chester, the Government have
taken £466 million since 2010 from our local authority, and the
only way we can win funding back is by bidding to this pot or
that pot, which is decided by Ministers. If he is going to
increase funding for local authorities, will he please remember
those areas that are not covered by directly elected Mayors, but
nevertheless have outstanding leaders such as Louise Gittins?
I thank the hon. Gentleman. Been there, done that, got knocked
back twice, so I am afraid I am not going round that course
again. I will agree that it is important that we talk to all
local leaders. I personally think the devolution of power to
mayoral combined authorities has been a good thing, but it is not
right for everywhere in this country. There are ways we can
strengthen the hands of local leaders, and I look forward to
doing so in Cheshire.
(Gainsborough) (Con)
Gainsborough South West ward is the 24th most deprived ward in
the country. I thank the Secretary of State for awarding us £10
million in levelling up, but does he agree, looking at the
overall picture, that the prosperity of northern industrial towns
was built not with Government money, but by entrepreneurs in the
19th and early 20th century, when regulation and taxation were a
fraction of what they are now? What plans does he have, with his
colleagues, to try to reduce the burden of regulation and
taxation on towns in the north of England?
My right hon. Friend is correct; that is why I sought in my
statement to emphasise that levelling up can only succeed if
British business and private enterprise succeed. That means the
right regulatory framework, outside the European Union, as we
spelled out on Monday. There are steps we have taken and can take
to ensure that we have smarter and leaner regulation.
More broadly, I think that if we look at the success of great
industrial towns in the past, we see that figures such as Joe
Chamberlain were driven by the spirit of private enterprise, but
by civic pride as well. Chamberlain provided an example of great
local leadership, and also of ambition to improve education. The
mission that he led in Birmingham to ensure that universal
education was extended even to the poorest was the perfect
complement to the drive that he showed in generating wealth
through the market.
(Leeds Central) (Lab)
One of the great inequalities in my constituency is the gap
between those who are able to feed their families and those who
are not. In every year since the Government took office the use
of food banks has increased, and last year 2.5 million food
parcels were given out to people who had gone up to a complete
stranger and said, “Can you help me to feed my family?” What are
the Government going to do to bring an end to this scandal?
The right hon. Gentleman makes a very important point. We have
taken, and continue to take, a series of steps through the
supporting families programme. We are also outlining in the White
Paper some of the proposals that we are taking forward as part of
Henry Dimbleby’s national food strategy, which explicitly
addressed some of the particular challenges to which the right
hon. Gentleman has rightly drawn attention, to ensure that people
have the resources and the capacity to put healthy food on the
table for their children. I look forward to perhaps visiting
Leeds with Henry Dimbleby to talk to the right hon. Gentleman
about exactly how we can achieve the change that we need.
(Stroud) (Con)
I am saddened by the characteristic doom and gloom on the Labour
Benches. We should be welcoming confirmation that we will be
turbo-charging every single part of the UK, including the
south-west, and recognising the importance of the private sector
to achieving those goals will be key. In Stroud we have a
fantastic town centre regeneration plan, which is backed up by
recent private investment in previously long-standing empty
buildings such as the Imperial Hotel and Five Valleys, and
buildings in King Street. Will my right hon. Friend dispatch his
levelling-up Minister to Stroud so that he can see how far the
marriage between private and public money that we are hoping to
achieve could go for local people?
The Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities, my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Neil
O’Brien), is hereby dispatched to Stroud—first class.
(Nottingham South)
(Lab)
How can we take seriously the Secretary of State’s promise to
turbo-charge places such as my city when his Government have
spent 12 years draining the fuel tank and slashing the tyres? If
his offer of a county deal is to deliver meaningful change, does
it not need to start with restoring the £100 million that
Nottingham has lost through cuts in council funding?
Nottingham has a bright future, and Nottinghamshire has an even
brighter one, with my hon. Friend the Member for Mansfield
() as leader of that council,
leading a programme of urban development and regeneration. I look
forward to working with the hon. Lady, and with my hon. Friend
the Member for Mansfield, to ensure that we make Nottinghamshire
great again.
(Hereford and South
Herefordshire) (Con)
The Secretary of State will know that Herefordshire has one of
the smallest and sparsest populations and some of the lowest
gross value added in this country. He will also know of my
passion for the New Model Institute for Technology and
Engineering, which promises to offer entirely new forms of
learning and teaching, lower drop-out rates, lower levels of
mental ill health, and much greater inclusiveness for young
people in skills-based higher education—it is the small modular
nuclear reactor of higher education. Will the Secretary of State
encourage this model, and will he consider, call for and initiate
a review of higher education in order to regenerate cities and
towns across the UK?
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. It is important for Members to be very brief, because
otherwise we will not get everyone in.
My right hon. Friend’s new model institute is a perfect model of
what was envisaged by the former Member of Parliament for
Orpington when he was the higher education Minister and
introduced reform to ensure that we improved access to higher
education, but with a particular focus on skills and jobs. I look
forward to working with him and the Education Secretary to spread
this model through across the UK.
(North Durham) (Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. He announced a
county devolution deal for County Durham, which has lost £224
million in Government grants since 2010. At the same time, his
own county council’s spending powers have gone up. Will the
devolution deal replace anywhere near the £22.4 million a year
that County Durham has lost?
I am looking forward to working with the new Conservative and
Liberal Democrat Administration in Durham county—the first
non-Labour Administration for many years, following on from the
success of my hon. Friends the Members for North West Durham (Mr
Holden), for Bishop Auckland () and for Sedgefield
() in winning their seats at the
last general election. Sadly, the Labour Administration of Durham
County Council were responsible for significant maladministration
and the waste of resources. I am convinced that the new
Administration will spend taxpayers’ money better.
(Plymouth, Moor View)
(Con)
I commend my right hon. Friend for his statement. Since 2015,
Plymouth has been on an amazing journey, with more inward
investment than it has seen for decades. I echo the plea of my
right hon. Friend the Member for Ashford () that the levelling up of
opportunities—an extension of the life chances agenda that we
started back in 2015—becomes a defining issue for this
Government. Will he remember the seats in the south-west? We talk
about the red wall, which is all brilliant, new and exciting, but
we have a real job of work to do to improve life chances in the
south-west.
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There are real pockets of
poverty that we need to address in the south-west, particularly
around Plymouth. The same is true in parts of the south,
particularly in Portsmouth and Southampton. Although there is
understandably a focus on the north and midlands, our broader
focus is on moving prosperity and investment outside of London
and the south-east, precisely to communities such as the one he
serves so well.
(Barnsley East) (Lab)
The Coalfields Regeneration Trust, based in Wombwell, is the only
organisation dedicated to supporting former mining towns in the
UK. Its vital work includes improving health outcomes, providing
employment support and boosting skills for communities where
levelling up is needed most. Will the Secretary of State agree to
meet the trust to learn more about its work?
Of course, I would be delighted to.
(Kettering) (Con)
I welcome the designation of North Northamptonshire as an
education investment area. Would the Secretary of State be kind
enough to explain to my constituents what that will mean for
educational outcomes in Kettering?
Children in Kettering deserve the very best start in life. First
of all, that means a relentless focus on standards and
discipline. It means ensuring that we have systematic synthetic
phonics in primary school, and that children are fully literate,
numerate and capable of going to secondary school by the time
they reach the end of key stage 2. It means multi-academy trusts,
which are delivering higher standards where existing schools have
failed. It can also mean—I would be happy to discuss this with my
hon. Friend—a new 16 to 19 sixth form like Brampton Manor or
Harris Westminster, providing children from working-class
backgrounds with the chance to go to the very best
universities.
(Orkney and Shetland)
(LD)
I welcome the creation of the “Islands Forum” referred to on page
132 of the White Paper, and the news that the Secretary of State
is to chair its first meeting—it is in his hands to ensure that
it is not a talking shop. Item No. 1 on the agenda for that
meeting has to be “Island future transport infrastructure needs”.
The communities in Shetland are desperate to see the construction
of tunnels and fixed links, and he could be the person to get the
Scottish Government and the Treasury together to deliver that. Is
he up for the challenge?
I am completely up for it. There are issues of connectivity and
access to good quality services and investment in Orkney and
Shetland, the Western Isles, Anglesey and the Isle of Wight.
Although they are very different communities, they have shared
interests. I will absolutely do what the right hon. Gentleman
says.
(North Devon) (Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and—I say this as
a former maths teacher—for his enthusiasm for numeracy. Will he
clarify how his plans will deal with large and mostly rural
counties such as Devon? On average, we can look as if we do not
need much levelling up, but that hides a large variance, with
huge disparities in opportunity within the county.
My hon. Friend is absolutely right; parts of Devon are relatively
economically successful, but there are also areas, not least in
South Molton and Barnstaple, in her constituency, where there is
real poverty. One thing we are doing with the roll-out of gigabit
broadband and better digital connectivity is making sure that
businesses in those areas can provide better jobs and greater
investment, but we will explore with the local authority in Devon
what more we can do to give local leaders the powers they need to
make a difference.
(Bedford) (Lab)
The Tories have been in power for 12 years, so does the Secretary
of State agree that these vague plans to raise school standards
in a third of local authority areas, including Bedford borough,
is an admission of unforgivable failure and that any promised
investment will never make up for the cuts started when he was
Education Secretary, which blighted a generation of our
children?
As the hon. Gentleman mentions my time at Education, let me say
that we protected, in real-terms, funding for schools from five
to 16; we introduced a pupil premium, which meant that £250
million of additional funding was targeted on the poorest; and in
Bedford we opened Bedford Free School, an outstanding school that
brought opportunity to disadvantaged children in his
constituency. What did the Labour party in Bedford do? It fought
it every step of the way. So if he wants opportunity for people
in Bedford, he should come to this side of the House, because we
are the real crusaders.
(Sutton Coldfield)
(Con)
May I urge my right hon. Friend not to be downcast by the
negativity of those on the Opposition Benches, but to be uplifted
by the support he is receiving for his statement today from those
on the Government Benches? In the west midlands, we are
particularly pleased about the innovation accelerators and the
smart city region programme, which can both be really effective
through the galvanisation of the private sector. I am also
pleased about the brownfield remediation money, which will stop
the iniquitous building of houses on the green belt. May I say
that we are awaiting transport money desperately needed for the
royal town’s centre plans, which are being driven forward by the
determination and vision of the Conservative-led Royal Sutton
Coldfield Town Council?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right on that. I know that he
was instrumental in the success of Andy Street’s election as
Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority, and Andy has shown
what a pro-business, pro-free market Conservative Mayor can do.
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that the
innovation accelerator in the west midlands will be a way of
harnessing all of the talent in his constituency and beyond. I
listened carefully to his plea for better transport to the royal
borough of Sutton Coldfield. In my view, the quicker people can
get to Sutton Coldfield, the better it is for everyone. It is a
beautiful royal borough with a fantastic Member of
Parliament.
(Edinburgh North and Leith)
(SNP)
I note the intention to pilot an innovation accelerator in
Glasgow. It is to be led by the Department for Business, Energy
and Industrial Strategy, the Scotland Office and other UK
Government Departments, from the Department for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities to the Department for International
Trade, but no mention is made of the Scottish Government. Can he
tell me what consultation there has been with the Scottish
Government on the proposal?
Yes. I talked to the First Minister about it last night.
(Harrow East) (Con)
My right hon. Friend will be aware that, despite the regeneration
programmes in London over the past 30 years, the deprived wards
in London are the same ones as they were 30 years ago. Will he
assure the House that this will not be used as a reason to
deprive London of money, despite the inaction of the do-nothing
Mayor at the moment, but that it will be new investment in the
north, midlands and across the UK?
Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right; levelling up is not
about dampening down the success of London or overlooking the
needs of disadvantaged communities in London. It is striking that
when my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister was Mayor of London
the gaps in life expectancy and health outcomes between the
wealthiest and the poorest parts of London narrowed. He was a one
nation Mayor and he is a one nation Prime Minister.
(Batley and Spen) (Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State for meeting me recently to discuss
this subject. Sadly, it was a virtual meeting so we were unable
to share a packet of Fox’s biscuits together—they come from my
constituency. After 12 long years, I welcome any announcement
that could result in much-needed, long overdue investment in the
towns and villages in Batley and Spen. Does he agree that when it
comes to levelling up, it is the reality on the ground that
matters and the real-world, tangible differences it makes to
communities? With that in mind, will he confirm that he will
accept my invitation to come to Batley and Spen, so that I can
show him at first hand not only the challenges we face, but the
unique opportunities that levelling-up funding could provide?
First, we have set out clear missions, but the hon. Lady is
absolutely right to say that we need to deliver on them. We want
to be held to account for that delivery and it needs to be
concrete. Secondly, she has been a great champion for community
organisations and their capacity to bring people together. A new
approach is outlined in the levelling-up White Paper on just
that, which is inspired by her work and that of my hon. Friend
the Member for Devizes (), so of course I will
accept.
(Morecambe and Lunesdale)
(Con)
Eden Project North gained planning permission on Monday. Five
long years, but we got there in the end. I will put it bluntly:
how can my right hon. Friend help Eden Project North? The sooner
he helps me, the sooner I will shut up about it and the sooner I
can get on to the next project in my constituency.
Eden Project North has two brilliant advocates: my hon. Friend
and the Prime Minister. I know I will not be long in this job if
I do not deliver for both of them.
(Wansbeck) (Lab)
The levelling-up programme should not just be about shiny
infrastructure projects. It should be about real people and life
opportunities. Life expectancy is not addressed in this hefty
document. Life expectancy in Windlesham in the Secretary of
State’s constituency is 86.7 years; in parts of my constituency
it is 72.5 years. That is staggering and grotesque. What will he
do about that?
I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman that it is staggering
and grotesque. One of the things we need to do is learn from
Professor Michael Marmot and others about the drivers of health
inequalities. I know that, in many cases, people such as the hon.
Gentleman who worked in mining or heavy industry, even though it
is a proud and amazing manufacturing sector, sometimes bear
long-term health scars. We need to do more, and I look forward to
working with him and others to address it.
(St Ives) (Con)
It is brilliant news that small and medium-sized builders will
get support to build 42,000 homes. Will the Secretary of State
meet me and my Cornish colleagues to make sure those homes are
retained by people who live in Cornwall?
Yes, absolutely.
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)
The recording that emerged today of the Secretary of State
talking of “dirty, toothless northerners” certainly deserves an
apology, but is today’s statement not a continuation of that
abuse? Having taken away £500, on average, from everyone in the
north-east, we get little pots of recycled money and ambitions
such as:
“By 2030, local public transport…will be significantly closer to
the standards of London”.
That is eight years not even to catch up with London buses. What
kind of ambition is that?
Speaking as an Aberdonian and as someone who was born further
north than most people in this House, I can say there is no one
more northern than me. Thinking particularly about this
situation, one of the things we outlined in the White Paper is
our proposal to ensure that the current North of Tyne Mayor can
work with local authorities in the south of Tyneside, Gateshead
and elsewhere to achieve precisely the goals that the hon. Lady
wants.
(Hyndburn) (Con)
I grew up in a northern industrial town, and I politely say to
the hon. Member for Wigan () that a plan for levelling-up
opportunity is exactly what such towns need. Delivery is key, so
will the Secretary of State make sure that we get shovels in the
ground?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. She grew up in Accrington.
Members like her, who know what it is to grow up in an industrial
town, know what happened in the past, including under Labour, and
know that we need investment, business and ambition. That is what
this White Paper has.
(Aberavon) (Lab)
The all-party parliamentary group on the UK shared prosperity
fund, which I am proud to chair, has been calling on the
Government to ensure that not a single penny is lost in the
transition from the European structural funds to the SPF, but
calculations by the Welsh Government confirm that the SPF will
leave the UK close to £1 billion worse off and that Wales will
get £750 million less. Will the Secretary of State meet our APPG
to discuss how to ensure the nations and regions of our country
do not get short-changed?
That is a fair point. On this occasion, I think that the
calculations made by the Welsh Finance Minister, , for whom I have great
respect, were wrong, but I would be more than happy to meet the
hon. Gentleman and others to take them through our approach.
(Bosworth) (Con)
Levelling up in Bosworth uniquely looks like millions of pounds
into Hinckley Academy, £28 million into Leicestershire broadband
and £19.9 million into Twycross Zoo. On page 235 of the White
Paper, the next level of levelling up is about the county deal,
which is drastically needed by the seven MPs in Leicestershire.
Will my right hon. Friend meet all seven of us to make sure that
we can rocket fuel that by autumn 2022?
We absolutely will. I commend my hon. Friend for getting to page
235 of the White Paper so quickly.
(Eltham) (Lab)
When he was Mayor of London, the Prime Minister commissioned a
report that asked for more tax-raising powers and the ability to
borrow money for London, but that was rejected. The current Mayor
is asking for powers to be able to raise money. If London cannot
pay for its transport system, which city in this country can? Why
are the Government standing in the way of devolution in London?
Is the Secretary of State not just cherry-picking schemes across
the country and standing in the way of devolution in the same way
that he is in London?
No. There are two things. The first is that I had a good
conversation with the Mayor of London yesterday. I stressed to
him that we wanted to explore what potential there was for
further devolution across all the mayoral combined authorities.
There is a party political argument about the management of
Transport for London which I will not revisit now, but simply
saying that greater borrowing powers would solve all of London’s
transport problems does not do justice to the scale of the issue.
To be fair to the Mayor of London, I want to work with him in
order to make sure that we can solve those problems.
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his visit to my constituency on
Monday. He will recall the excellent fish and chip lunch that we
shared. During that lunch, a number of points were raised. First,
can he ensure that LNER delivers on its promise of a direct rail
service from Cleethorpes through to King’s Cross? Urgent decision
making was also referred to, and the way to help delivery of that
would be to create a level 3 authority in the county.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
One question at a time.
Those are very good points. We do need a direct train service to
Grimsby and Cleethorpes. My hon. Friend’s other points are
absolutely well made and well understood. I enjoyed the delicious
fish and chips from Papa’s, with a side order of what I
understand is called guacamole à la .
(Stretford and Urmston)
(Lab)
I was interested to read about the national youth guarantee. A
total of £500 million was announced by the Government in 2019 for
the youth investment fund, but the first £10 million of capital
funding was opened to bids only just a few weeks ago. Will the
Secretary of State kindly urge his colleagues to turbo-charge the
delivery of that funding so that our young people do not have to
wait until 2025 to enjoy better opportunities and facilities?
That is a very fair point and I will look into it.
(Vale of Glamorgan) (Con)
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on taking back control and on
his strategic approach to levelling up across the whole of the
United Kingdom. This contrasts so favourably with the billions of
pounds of European aid that the Labour party wasted in Wales over
the past 20 years. May I ask him to pay particular attention to
those areas in Wales that did not qualify for European aid, so
that we can be levelled up at last?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. We need to make sure
that the additional funding available through the UK shared
prosperity fund goes to all the communities in Wales that deserve
it.
(Salford and Eccles)
(Lab)
The Secretary of State bursts with enthusiasm today, yet his
plans are not bursting with much new funding. Even the director
of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership says that
“the government is planning to spend less on English regional
development than was the case under or .”
It said that true levelling up would need long-term financial
backing from the Chancellor. When will we see that?
We saw it at the spending review.
(Colne Valley) (Con)
I really welcome this statement. I welcome that Kirklees will be
an education investment area. I welcome that Kirklees will get
extra support from the high streets task force, but can we make
sure that it is not just the swanky cities of the north like
Leeds that are levelled up, but it is also our towns such as
Huddersfield, Milnsbridge, Holmfirth, Marsden, Slaithwaite and,
of course, Doncaster, Madam Deputy Speaker?
I could not agree more. I have nothing against Leeds; I love
Leeds. [Hon. Members: “That’s not what it says about you!”] My
name is hymned by children in Leeds streets, I know. The serious
point is that there is cultural investment in Kirklees, not least
in Huddersfield, and my hon. Friend is absolutely right that more
needs to be done for all the authorities in Kirklees and for the
towns in West Yorkshire surrounding them.
(Bradford East) (Lab)
The stark reality is that someone who lives in the inner city of
Bradford is likely to live 10 years less than someone who lives
in an affluent suburb. Although I accept that the Government plan
commits to raising health and life expectancy, it does not go far
enough. One of the issues is the top-down approach. I sincerely
and constructively ask the Secretary of State to meet me to
discuss transformative new proposals that are being put forward
by local grassroots community groups in Bradford to change health
inequalities and to address the real issue.
I will make sure that, if it is not me, another Minister
definitely talks to the hon. Gentleman.
(Birmingham, Northfield)
(Con)
I remember as a schoolboy watching and fly into Birmingham by
helicopter to say that every job at Longbridge would be saved.
Seventeen years on, it is this Conservative Government who have
given West Works six million quid to provide the new jobs that
are needed locally. This Conservative Government will be helping
St Modwen and other developers to make sure that we build on the
land at Lowhill Lane. Will the Secretary of State visit, with me,
the biggest levelling-up project in Birmingham and the west
midlands?
The west midlands is succeeding at last under Conservative
leadership, such as that provided by and my hon. Friend.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. We really cannot have long preambles: one question to the
Secretary of State, please.
(South Shields) (Lab)
In South Shields: freeport bid—rejected; levelling-up
bid—rejected; towns fund bid—rejected; transport
funding—rejected. We have suffered Tory cuts of nearly £200
million. Tinkering with our governance alone will not change a
thing. The Secretary of State once praised policies that, in his
own words, meant
“the happy south stamps over the cruel, dirty, toothless face of
the northerner”.
Is he proud that he has managed to do exactly the same again
today?
I think that South Shields does deserve better. That is why we
are going to work with the North of Tyne Mayor to ensure that
across Tyneside, both north and south, we have the right
structures and the right investment in place.
(Carlisle) (Con)
In Cumbria, if there is support for a mayoral model but some
opposition to it, will the Government take statutory powers to
ensure that the mayoral model prevails?
Yes, and I cannot think of a better mayor for Cumbria than my
hon. Friend.
(Ceredigion) (PC)
Six of the nine areas in Ceredigion rank in the bottom 10% of
areas across the UK for decent broadband coverage. How will the
hardest-to-reach premises, such as those in Ceredigion, be
targeted for public investment?
I will work with the hon. Gentleman and, indeed, with the Senedd
and the Welsh Government to ensure that we can roll out
broadband. I recognise that lots of small businesses in
Ceredigion—in Aberystwyth and all the way up to Machynlleth—need
that support, and we will be there for them.
(Bromley and Chislehurst)
(Con)
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’
Financial Interests. Following this excellent document and having
recognised the value of cultural investment, will my right hon.
Friend meet me to discuss some of the exciting ways in which some
of our major arts organisations, including those based in London,
are prepared to participate in the levelling up throughout the
whole country?
I absolutely will. My hon. Friend is a keen champion of arts,
culture and, in particular, music. The institutions that we have
in London are fantastic, but they can play a real part with
institutions such as the Hallé and others in the north to improve
cultural opportunities for all.
(Sheffield Central)
(Lab)
Since 2010, Conservative Governments have cut £2.1 billion in
funds to Sheffield City Council. Our annual grant is £288 million
lower in real terms. Today, the Secretary of State announced £13
million and described it as transformational. If that is
transformational, how would he describe the money we have lost?
When will he restore it?
I do not think that I described it as transformational; I think
it was the Labour Mayor of South Yorkshire, who said that it had
the “potential” to be transformational. I am looking forward to
working with the Labour Mayor of South Yorkshire in order to
achieve that transformation.
(Cheadle) (Con)
I welcome this White Paper and the multi-billion pound
investments in brownfield regeneration, connectivity, research
and development, and especially the innovation accelerators,
which in Cheadle and across Greater Manchester will make a real
difference to all those businesses that want the extra help to
start up. Will my right hon. Friend say whether, as well as civic
leaders, business leaders will be part of the design of the
accelerator?
Absolutely. I had the opportunity, thanks to my hon. Friend, to
visit Cheadle and indeed other parts of Greater Manchester just a
fortnight ago. Thanks to her advocacy, I was also able to meet
some of the business figures most interested in making sure that
innovation in Manchester succeeds, and I want to continue to work
with them because the business voice is critical to the success
of the north-west.
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
How are people in Scotland supposed to see the UK Government
making spending and policy decisions in areas that are supposed
to be devolved as anything other than a power grab?
The hon. Gentleman is a graduate of Glasgow University—
Strathclyde!
Oh, the hon. Gentleman did not make it to Glasgow—never mind. He
is a graduate of another great university in Glasgow. We are
investing money in that university to recognise that the
constituency he represents has incredibly talented young people,
and we want them to succeed, just like him.
(Warrington South) (Con)
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and welcome the
radical shake-up contained in this White Paper. My ears pricked
up when I heard him mention Warrington and funding for better
public transport—120 new electric buses for Warrington. Thank
you, Secretary of State. Does he agree that, if we want to get
people into jobs, we have to provide the public transport to help
them get there?
That is absolutely, totally, 100% correct, and it is my right
hon. Friend the Transport Secretary who deserves all the
credit.
(Brentford and Isleworth)
(Lab)
Hounslow is in the second most prosperous UK sub-region by gross
value added, but thanks to 11 years of Government policies, 40%
of Hounslow’s children live in poverty, so when will levelling up
address inequality within communities as well as between
them?
That is a very important point. What we need to do is to make
sure that we work with the Mayor of London, but also with
Hounslow Borough Council and those who are involved in providing
opportunity for young people in the communities the hon. Member
represents, to give them a better chance in the future.
(Scunthorpe) (Con)
We are under way, levelling up in Scunthorpe and we are
unashamedly ambitious to do more. Can I offer a very strong
invitation to my right hon. Friend to come to visit us, so we can
show him what we are doing and have a chat about future
opportunities?
Absolutely. I enjoyed visiting Grimsby and Cleethorpes earlier
this week. North-east Lincolnshire is great. It is time I visited
north Lincolnshire as well.
(Birkenhead) (Lab)
Wirral Council is facing a budget black hole of more than £20
million. I have pledged to do whatever I can to save the
fantastic public services that so many of my constituents rely
on, and I am grateful to the Secretary of State for kindly
agreeing to meet me and my hon. Friends from the Wirral to
discuss this very serious situation. Levelling up will remain
nothing more than an empty catchphrase as long as local
authorities such as mine are forced to consider closing
libraries, leisure centres and swimming pools. Ahead of our
meeting, can he tell me if he thinks this White Paper comes
anywhere close to undoing the enormous damage done to local
authorities’ finances since 2010?
I am looking forward to a meeting. I recognise that there are
real issues in the Wirral, which I hope we can work together to
resolve.
(Isle of Wight) (Con)
I thank the Secretary of State so much for taking forward the
islands forum idea. Sadly, I did not get beyond page 132, because
that is where it was. Can he assure us that the forum will give a
voice to islands such as the Isle of Wight to be part of the
prosperity agenda in education and high-quality jobs, as well as
in landscape and seascape protection for some of the most unique
and beautiful parts of Great Britain?
Absolutely. The islands forum is an idea developed following
conversations with and advocacy from my hon. Friend. We recognise
absolutely, as he has consistently pointed out, that island
communities face particular challenges as a result of distance
and dispersal, and we need to tackle them.
(Wirral West) (Lab)
I welcome the Secretary of State’s commitment to meet me, my hon.
Friend the Member for Birkenhead () and other Wirral MPs.
Woodchurch leisure centre and swimming pool and libraries in
Greasby, Irby, Hoylake, Pensby and Woodchurch are all under
threat of closure because of Wirral Council having to make up to
£27 million of savings as a direct result of brutal cuts from
Conservative Governments since 2010, so can the Secretary of
State make sure that he provides emergency funding to save these
vital services?
I look forward to discussing that at a meeting with the hon. Lady
and the hon. Member for Birkenhead ().
(High Peak) (Con)
I welcome the enhanced bus service on its way to Derbyshire, the
Derbyshire county deal and the fact that Derbyshire is going to
be an education investment area, on top of the future high
streets £10 million for Buxton, the £137 million for the Hope
Valley upgrade and the £228 million Mottram bypass, but there is
a democratic deficit I am worried about. The Mayor of Greater
Manchester takes decisions that have a huge impact on High Peak,
but we have no say in them. What can we say to having more
collaborative working, ensuring that levelling up works for
everyone across regional boundaries?
My hon. Friend makes an important point. High Peak contains some
of the most beautiful and important parts of Derbyshire, but it
is also part of the greater economic area around Greater
Manchester. I therefore want to ensure, with him, Derbyshire
leaders and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, that we are working
together in the interests of my hon. Friend’s constituents.
(Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch
and Strathspey) (SNP)
With this scheme, the highlands are set to lose out on tens of
millions of pounds compared with EU funding. The highlands have
been placed in category 3—the lowest of all the categories—and
face significant financial challenges in accessing the cash. This
is the largest local authority area in the UK. Why are the
highlands so low on this Government’s agenda?
The highlands are at the top of the Government’s agenda. The UK
shared prosperity funding that we are guaranteeing will ensure
that highland communities get the investment that they need, but
more than that, the roll-out of 4G and 5G will also help highland
communities. It is the case that the Scottish Government have not
necessarily rolled out broadband as quickly as those communities
would want, as colleagues such as in the Scottish Parliament
have pointed out. I want to work with him and the Scottish
Government to serve the people whom he represents.
(Aylesbury) (Con)
I know that my right hon. Friend believes that local leaders know
best when it comes to regenerating local areas, and when it comes
to Buckinghamshire, he is absolutely right. Buckinghamshire
Council, which effectively created the concept of county deals,
is very disappointed not to be one of the first nine, so will he
tell me how soon the second tranche will be announced, because
Bucks is poised to not just negotiate, but spring into
action?
I absolutely appreciate that and Martin Tett, the leader of
Buckinghamshire Council, is a first-rate local authority leader.
I cannot give a timescale at the moment. We want to make sure
that the first nine county deals are successful, but we want to
move on rapidly thereafter to expand the scope of county
deals.
(Ellesmere Port and Neston)
(Lab)
My constituency is repeatedly overlooked for funding, whether
that is for the future high streets fund, the towns fund or the
levelling-up fund, but at the same time, bids from other areas
that score lower on the Government’s criteria are successful. The
Secretary of State will appreciate that there is little trust
that the White Paper will deliver anything for my community, so
what assurances can he give me that any future bids for funding
will be judged fairly and that my constituency will finally get
the cash that it deserves?
There are clear and objective criteria for funding, but it is
also the case that some local authorities may need help with
building capacity to make sure that their bids are as effective
as possible. I extend the resources of the Department to the hon.
Gentleman and his local authority to make sure that they put in
the best bids possible.
(Loughborough) (Con)
This is a plan that provides opportunity and growth throughout
every part of our country; I am looking particularly at mission
6, on skills training. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is
the Conservatives who really help people to get on in life?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Of course, she represents a
constituency with one of the finest universities in the country
and she recognises the vital importance of higher education,
further education and schools working together to extend
opportunity.
(North Down) (Alliance)
Speaking as a former Minister in Northern Ireland, our Executive
had far more control over the allocation of structural funds when
we were in the EU than they do over levelling-up funds today.
Does the Secretary of State recognise that the UK’s approach to
levelling-up funds, particularly the shared prosperity fund,
means only reduced resource for Northern Ireland and risks
duplication and waste, as well as competition in the shared
public space over the scarce resources that remain?
I respectfully disagree, but I recognise that the hon. Gentleman
has a wealth of experience in this area, so I want to work with
him, his party and his party’s Minister in the Executive to make
sure that we minimise bureaucracy and maximise effectiveness.
(Dudley South) (Con)
The west midlands has some world-leading, innovative companies as
well as universities and research institutions doing
ground-breaking research, but public research and development
investment in the west midlands has been low compared with other
areas, even though for every £1 of Government investment, we have
seen a private sector return of £4. How will the innovation
accelerator help to close that gap?
My hon. Friend brilliantly encapsulates the challenge. The
innovation accelerator will bring together representatives from
the private sector—from business—as well as those in the
outstanding universities that, as he rightly points out, are a
feature of the west midlands in order to ensure that its
manufacturing strengths can be leveraged more effectively. I look
forward to working with him and others to achieve that.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
The broken housing market is the bigger driver of inequality
across York, with the boom in second homes and holiday lets.
Therefore, the aspiration of the people of York is being denied.
Rather than throwing us dead cats with the House of Lords, will
the Secretary of State throw us a proper agenda to address the
housing crisis in York?
Three important points. First, the hon. Lady is absolutely right
that there are things we need to do to tackle the housing market,
in particular the second homes issue. It is complex, as she
understands, but there is more that needs to be done. Secondly, I
hope she will support the proposed mayoral deal for York and
North Yorkshire, which I think will give some of the powers
necessary to deal with the problems she mentioned. Thirdly, the
House of Lords in York, or for that matter Glasgow, would be a
great thing.
(South Basildon and East
Thurrock) (Con)
Can my right hon. Friend confirm that, as we look forward,
levelling up applies to need not geography, and that the most
deprived areas in Basildon and Thurrock will see the benefits to
allow south Essex to reach its full potential?
Yes, absolutely. We need to target need. We need to recognise
that, in the south-east, London, Oxford and Cambridge are the
three crown jewels generating wealth, but that there are
communities that do not share in that prosperity. I should point
out that one of the poorest areas, if not the poorest, in the
country is Jaywick in the borough of Tendring, represented by my
hon. Friend the Member for Clacton (). It is critically important
that we work with local government leaders to address poverty
wherever we find it.
(Carmarthen East and
Dinefwr) (Ind)
If the British Government were serious about levelling up and
using Brexit freedoms, as they call them, would they not be
devolving key economic levers to Wales, such as powers over VAT
and corporation tax?
That is an interesting idea, but I am not sure the hon.
Gentleman’s friends in Plaid Cymru would necessarily take an
approach to VAT and corporation tax that was as pro-enterprise as
I would like. The key thing is that we need to make sure the UK
remains competitive overall. His constituents in Carmarthen East
and Dinefwr will benefit thereby.
(Southport) (Con)
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement today and thank him
for Southport’s £38.5 million town deal. But will he ensure that
jobs, growth and investment are at the heart of his levelling-up
agenda and that vanity projects, such as those proposed under the
active travel scheme, do not supersede them?
My hon. Friend makes a very important point. We of course want to
encourage cycling and walking, but we need to balance that with
the need to ensure that thriving economic areas such as
Southport, which are at the heart of the success of not just
Sefton but Greater Merseyside and Lancashire, are given the
opportunity to provide the economic growth for which he has been
such an effective champion.
(Cynon Valley) (Lab)
The Secretary of State talks about shifting power and resources
to communities. I think he made one mention of Wales. In the case
of Wales, the opposite is true. These proposals ride roughshod
over devolution, override our democratically elected Government
and short-change us to the tune of £1 billion by 2024. The truth
of the matter is that the proposals will result in further
hardship and poverty for my constituents in Cynon Valley and
throughout the UK. So I implore the Secretary of State to listen
to my constituents and the people of this country, respect
devolution and restore the missing £1 billion to Wales.
I respectfully disagree. When I was recently visiting Merthyr and
Pontypridd, I found that actually the investment we are making
through the levelling-up fund was welcomed by Labour and
independent councillors in south Wales. Obviously, we need to do
more not just for south Wales but for north Wales, which is why
there is a commitment in the White Paper to ensure more civil
service jobs move to Wrexham.
(Amber Valley) (Con)
I, too, welcome the investment in education and public transport
in Derbyshire. While my right hon. Friend is negotiating county
deals in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, will he perhaps give a
little shove towards full proper devolution and a mayor for the
east midlands?
That is definitely worth exploring. I recognise that there are
particular geographical—what is the word?—issues across the east
midlands, but I think the success of in the west midlands has meant
that more options are opening.
(Liverpool, Wavertree)
(Lab)
Since 2010, £465 million has been cut from Liverpool City
Council, with £34 million in this coming financial year. Local
government staff have had their pay cut by 20% since 2010 in real
terms. Will the Secretary of State, if he is genuinely committed
to tackling and reversing inequality, tell us when local
government workers can expect a 50% pay increase like the
commissioners in Liverpool City Council, or will he agree to meet
me and my colleagues to look at that eye-watering decision?
Liverpool City Council has had a troubled past recently, but it
has a new leadership committed to change and reform. The
commissioners are a vital part of that process. I am more than
happy to talk to the hon. Lady and other Liverpool
MPs—[Interruption.] If we did not have those commissioners there,
we would not be dealing with the legacy of corruption and
incompetence, and whether the hon. Member for Wigan () wants to defend that past or be
part of a brighter future is her choice.
(North West Norfolk) (Con)
Levelling up is as relevant in North West Norfolk as it is in the
north, so I welcome the invitation for Norfolk to negotiate a
county deal, which I hope will see more local powers and
resources. Education is at the heart of spreading opportunity, so
will my right hon. Friend confirm that Norfolk’s selection as one
of the new education investment areas will mean extra support and
dedicated action to give more young people a good start in
life?
Absolutely. For example, we want to ensure that the sort of model
used at Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form in Norwich, which provides an
excellent opportunity for children denied it in the past, is
spread across Norfolk as part of our EIA initiative.
(Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
(Lab)
Wales is set to be denied £4.6 billion as a result of the
Government classifying HS2 as an England and Wales project,
despite the Treasury finding that Wales would lose out on £150
million per annum as a result of HS2. That does not sound like
levelling up to me. Does the Secretary of State agree?
I do not think Wales loses out as a result of HS2. I think north
Wales in particular benefits significantly because of increased
connectivity. However, I respectfully say to the hon. Gentleman
that the Labour party needs to sort out its position on HS2. When
the Leader of the Opposition was campaigning to be elected in
Camden, he said that one of top priorities was to oppose HS2, and
then when we brought forward proposals to extend HS2, he
criticised them. There is an inconsistency in the Labour party’s
position on infrastructure investment. I know that the hon.
Gentleman’s heart is in the right place, but the Labour party’s
HS2 policy currently is not.
(Kensington) (Con)
I represent a London constituency with two of the most deprived
wards in the entire country. Does my right hon. Friend agree that
levelling up is also about deprived areas in our inner cities?
Will he back my campaign for step-free access at Ladbroke Grove
tube station?
Absolutely. My hon. Friend is right. One of the things that the
White Paper brings out in a look at the borough of Kensington is
the fact that it contains both some of the wealthiest areas in
the country and some of the poorest. Without wanting to stray
into another important area—although it is important to refer to
it—the suffering of Grenfell families and the community around
them is a reminder of our need to ensure that opportunity and
security are extended to those who have suffered in the past, and
they have had no better champion in this House than my hon.
Friend.
Several hon. Members rose—
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. I am afraid that we must bring this statement to an end. I
am sorry that we have not been able to get everyone in, but we
did manage about 70 in the hour and a half that was allocated. We
have more business to move on to, but I thank the Secretary of
State for his statement.
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