Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Cabinet minister is responsible for the levelling up agenda.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Levelling up all areas of the country remains at the centre of the Government’s agenda and this requires collective action across Government as a whole. We remain committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK so that people feel that they can succeed in their local area. The Spending Review established a set of provisional priority outcomes and metrics across all Departments and policy areas which have been published (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2020-documents.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about their levelling up agenda.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We are committed to levelling up opportunities across the UK to spread opportunity and investment so that people feel that they can succeed in their local area. UK Government officials have met with their counterparts in the devolved administrations on multiple occasions to discuss the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and the future of local growth funding. This includes regular meetings to discuss any updates, concerns or queries. The UK Government has also held 16 engagement events across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to discuss the UKSPF and local priorities. These were attended by representatives from a breadth of sectors, including officials from the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities about their levelling up agenda.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Levelling up all areas of the country remains at the centre of the Government’s agenda, empowering our regions by devolving money, resources and control away from Westminster. Government has worked with local leaders throughout the pandemic to ensure every region, city and town will recover from Covid-19 and ultimately level up. Government will continue to engage with mayors to discuss the economic opportunities across our major cities whilst also engaging with local partners who represent the different types of places across the country.
The Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper will cover how the UK Government will partner with places across the UK to build a sustainable economic recovery and set out our plans for future devolution arrangements. Ministers and officials have regular conversations with partners in local government, working together to progress and shape the levelling up agenda.