Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what metrics will inform their
annual Levelling Up report.
The Minister of State, Home Office and Department for Levelling
Up, Housing & Communities () (Con)
The annual report will use metrics listed in the levelling-up
White Paper technical annexe. There are 22 headline metrics for
describing the specific disparities and monitoring progress
against the 12 missions, and 27 supporting metrics which capture
information relevant to, but broader than, the specific missions.
These are selected based on their relevance, availability,
frequency of updates and geographical coverage. New and improved
data sources may be added as metrics to relevant missions.
I thank the Minister for his reply. Within the levelling-up White
Paper and Bill, there is a lot of planning for housing and
communities. Will Her Majesty’s Government commit to planning
communities with resources that account for community-level
healthcare interventions that are designed around health and
well-being, as well as their measurement, without which the
levelling-up agenda will not succeed?
(Con)
It is important that we look at some of these missions in the
round. In that question, the right reverend Prelate brought
together three specific missions: we have a health mission, a
well-being mission and a housing mission but it is important that
we find ways of ensuring progress on all fronts. We have set up
an advisory council to do precisely that.
(Lab)
My Lords, as a contribution to levelling up, does the Secretary
of State, , have any proposals to
relocate his department and the noble Lord the Minister to Stoke?
Does he not think that this might be a constructive suggestion
and, in particular, enable him to practise what he preaches?
(Con)
I thought this Question might go in all directions, including
Stoke. We actually have a department in Wolverhampton and are
going to conduct a ministerial board meeting there—but
personally, I will be joining remotely.
(CB)
My Lords, can the Minister simplify things a little and tell the
House how much the Government plan to spend on levelling up?
(Con)
Of course, the expenditure is governed by the expenditure review,
and I note that this is a nationwide pledge to level up. Record
amounts of money are being spent through the devolved
nations.
The Lord Speaker ()
We have a virtual contribution from the noble Baroness, Lady
Brinton.
(LD) [V]
No, my Lords, not on this Question.
(Con)
My Lords, will my noble friend tell me whether it is strictly
necessary to dumb down the English language in order to level
up?
(Con)
My Lords, I do not think the technical annexe is particularly
dumbed down—it is pretty complicated stuff. To have a clear sense
of direction supported by metrics which are then enshrined in
statute is hardly dumbing things down.
(Lab)
My Lords, forgive me for not having the technical annexe, the 22
metrics or the others that the Minister has alluded to. Can he
tell me whether it will include the numbers of people using food
banks and of new food banks having to be started because of the
increasing cost of living? Will we have any evaluation of the
catch-up programme, which is so inadequate, in terms of the
impact of the pandemic on children and young people?
(Con)
We recognise the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living
crisis. But all the metrics are set out clearly in the technical
annexe, copies of which are available on the GOV.UK website.
(CB)
My Lords, are the Government taking into account the south-west
in levelling up?
(Con)
It is very clear that the levelling-up mission involves levelling
up both within and between communities. Of course, it takes into
account that there is great disparity within parts of the
south-west of this country.
(Lab)
My Lords, does the range of metrics to which the Minister has
referred include disparities within areas? It is no use levelling
up Yorkshire by taking resources away from the poorest in London,
or levelling up Cornwall by taking them away from the poorest in
Hampshire.
(Con)
As I said in response to the previous question, of course there
are great disparities—within Greater London, for instance, never
mind within Yorkshire. We must level up between and within
communities; the metrics pick up that regional and local
disparity.
Lord McLoughlin (Con)
When the Government are reviewing their progress on levelling up,
how will they ensure that the budgets and funds allocated are
spent in the way desired in the White Paper?
(Con)
As well as the metrics, within the technical annexe there is a
clear plan for how to achieve what is set out in the White Paper.
All of that will then be enshrined in law in the Levelling-up and
Regeneration Bill.
of Ullock (Lab)
My Lords, an IPPR report recently found that with their cuts to
council funding, the Government have taken £431 from every single
person and handed back just £31 in their levelling-up funds. Does
the Minister accept that the Government can meet their
levelling-up tests only by working with, and properly funding,
local government?
(Con)
Local government has a critical part to play in levelling up the
country. I would point out the commitment through both the UK
shared prosperity fund and the levelling-up funds to turbocharge
the 12 missions outlined in the Bill.
(LD)
I am particularly interested in the aspirations around housing
that are implicit throughout the levelling-up agenda. Given the
northern consortium’s recent report on the fact that it is
actually the quality of existing homes in the north that is a key
factor in poverty and other indicators, what plans do the
Government have, besides building brand new houses, to look after
the existing stock that is in poor condition?
(Con)
It is important that we think about our existing stock. As
Building Safety Minister, I think that the quality of housing is
incredibly important. One of the key headline metrics is the
proportion of non-decent rented homes and ensuring that we
continue to drive this down and increase the number of homes that
have achieved the decent homes standard, which will be adopted
within the private rented sector as well.
(CB)
My Lords, do the Government think that it is an appropriate part
of levelling up to postpone the ban on two-for-one HFSS foods in
supermarkets and delay the advertising ban during children’s
television? This morning, Cancer Research published data showing
that 50% of adults in this country will be obese by 2025. As
other noble Lords have pointed out, the disparity between rich
and poor in terms of living with good health is now 17 years.
That is a burden not just to them but to us and the taxpayer.
Could the Minister therefore please explain to the House why the
Government have taken this decision to make bad food cheaper,
rather than subsidising healthy food to make it more accessible
to people on a budget?
(Con)
My Lords, I think it is for one of my colleagues to explain that
decision, but it is clear that the healthy life expectancy
metric—to increase it by some five years by 2030—remains, and the
Government need to do all they can to achieve that.
(Lab Co-op)
Does the Minister not agree that, whatever the metrics are, the
major decisions as far as England is concerned will still be made
in Whitehall? Is it not necessary to give to the regions of
England real powers over transport and economic development, and
all the administrative powers that Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland have? Until the decisions are made in regional centres,
there will be no real levelling up.
(Con)
As someone who spent 16 years in local government, I am obviously
a great fan of devolution. But it is very clear that, by 2030,
every part of the United Kingdom that wants a devolution deal
with powers will be offered one. That will be the highest level
of devolution we have ever had in this country, and that is
certainly a step forward.
(LD)
My Lords, I am very pleased to hear what the Minister has just
said about every region getting the degree of devolution that it
requires. The noble Lord will be aware of the One Yorkshire
committee, of which the leaders of Conservative councils in
Yorkshire are members. All of them believe that there should be a
single devolved authority for the whole of the great county of
Yorkshire. Does the Minister concur with that ambition?
(Con)
I know that there is a strong Yorkshire lobby here. When I look
at a map of Yorkshire, I see that it seems to have engulfed most
of the north of England these days. But we are devolving into
parts of Yorkshire, essentially, with strong mayoral figures. I
am sure that they have opportunities to collaborate with their
fellow Yorkshire colleagues. But I think that we have moved on
from the one Yorkshire idea.
(Con)
Since he is a strong supporter of devolution, will my noble
friend tell the House how our fellow country men and women in
Northern Ireland will benefit from this process? How much money
are the Government allocating to Northern Ireland and what will
the results be? I declare my interest as a fervent supporter of
the union.
(Con)
The Northern Ireland Executive will receive a funding boost of
some £1.6 billion per year. These are the highest annual funding
settlement increases for devolved Administrations since
devolution began in 1998.
