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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting semi-rural market towns in (a) Shropshire and (b) Telford and Wrekin as part of the next round of levelling up funding.

I am delighted to have opened the application portal for the second round of the Levelling Up Fund on the 15 July.

We recognise that what constitutes priority investment will vary across local authorities and geographies, including in rural areas of the UK.

I am keen to see a diverse range of bids come forward so that this government can continue to invest in Levelling Up urban and rural communities across the UK.