Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Rejected
Paragraph: 16
DLUHC lacks clear oversight and understanding of Levelling Up funding contributions.
Conclusion
We are yet to see any evidence of sustained joint working between Departments, and the coordination of the various funding pots they control, which are intended to contribute towards the ambitions of the Levelling Up White Paper. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the Levelling Up policy, but we have found that it does not appear have a clear understanding of which funds specifically contribute towards the four main objectives in the White Paper and what the totality of funding available is.
Government Response Summary
The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's conclusion, stating that Levelling Up is a whole-of-government mission where all spending contributes. It highlights extensive joint working across departments and with local actors through various initiatives, including devolution deals, partnerships, and Investment Zones.
Paragraph Reference:
16
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The Government disagrees. As the Levelling Up White Paper makes clear, our approach to Levelling Up is system wide. The mission to reduce spatial disparities goes much further than individual funds, important though they are. In different ways, spending on health, education, skills, transport, housing, R&D, inward investment, business investment, policing, local government and regeneration, to name but a few, all contribute to Levelling Up. As indeed does tax and customs policy, including in Freeports and Investment Zones. As such it would be misleading to categorise particular elements of spending, or tax for that matter, as contributing to Levelling Up or not. Levelling Up is a whole of government mission. The Government further disagrees that there is not evidence of sustained joint working with departments. Each of the twelve missions has a lead and supporting department and DLUHC continues to drive forward and co-ordinate the Levelling Up agenda across government through various cabinet committees and a Levelling Up Inter-ministerial Group chaired by the Secretary of State. Each non exploratory mission has a number of clearly articulated metrics, all of which can be measured by the indicators set out in the technical annex. More than ever, the department is working with local places and other government departments, meaning that co-ordination and oversight is carried out locally – which we believe is right. For example, the Trailblazer Devolution Deals signed by Greater Manchester and the West Midlands create a single economic settlement for the first time and contains significant new powers across employment support, skills and transport. We are rolling out further devolution deals in the East Midlands, the North East, York and North Yorkshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. We are undertaking twenty placed based Levelling Up Partnerships, rolling out 12 Investment Zones across the UK in partnership with government departments as well as delivering eight Freeports. All these initiatives require detailed co-ordination and joint working across a multitude of government departments and crucially with local actors as well.