Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support he is making available to applicants for applications to the (a) Levelling Up fund and (b) UK Shared Prosperity fund.

To support applicants to the Levelling Up Fund, capacity funding will be allocated to the local authorities measured as highest need in England, and all local authorities in Scotland and Wales to help them build a new relationship with the UK Government. This capacity funding will help support the relevant local authorities develop high-quality bids for the Fund and ensure that investment is targeted where it is needed most. In Northern Ireland, there will be a different approach to capacity funding based on the funding landscape. This will see all district councils and some other identified bidding entities receive capacity funding.

We are reserving up to £14 million of the UK Community Renewal Fund as capacity funding to support local places to prepare for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This will be made available later in 2021 and we will publish further details, including eligibility for capacity funding, nearer the time.