Recommendations & Conclusions
18 items
1
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
The Prime Minister, from the first day of his premiership, identified levelling up as a major focus of Government policy. It was featured in the Conservative Party Manifesto in 2019 and was a central theme of the programme for government, set out in the Queen’s Speech in May 2021. While …
Government response. We recognise that the impacts of covid-19 to date have been significant on health, the economy and our society. We accept that the impact of covid-19 is likely to have repercussions for public policy making, both in terms of overcoming …
Department for Business and Trade
2
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
Given the Government’s own focus on its levelling up agenda, the lack of clarity around its meaning and how it translates into specific policy initiatives and strategies is stark. As it currently stands, levelling up risks becoming an everything and nothing policy, not owned by any particular Minister or Department, …
Government response. The Government is committed to publishing the Levelling Up White Paper to articulate how we will improve livelihoods across the country as we recover from the pandemic, and level up in every part of the country, from Aberdeen to Aylesbury, …
Department for Business and Trade
3
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
There is no doubt that geographical inequality is a structural problem in the UK and attempting to address these inequalities should be at the heart of the UK’s plans for economic recovery post-pandemic. These plans should be focused on longer-term goals, rather than just the life span of political cycles, …
Government response. We recognise the need for ensuring that it is not only the most well-resourced authorities who are successful in securing funding and that, particularly in the context of recovery from covid-19, local authorities currently have a significant number of calls …
Department for Business and Trade
4
Recommendation
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
The impact of Covid-19 has not been uniform, and the extent of these differences may not be known for some time. The Government should factor detailed analysis of the impact of Covid-19 into its planning for, and delivery of, the levelling up agenda. (Paragraph 25) Funding Levelling up
Government response. We recognise that the impacts of covid-19 to date have been significant on health, the economy and our society. We accept that the impact of covid-19 is likely to have repercussions for public policy making, both in terms of overcoming …
Department for Business and Trade
5
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
The current available documents on the policy instruments the Government aims to use to level up—the Conservative Party Manifesto, its submission to this inquiry and the 2021 Queen’s Speech—show a wide ranging and disjointed programme of random policies from an obesity strategy, an increase in police officers, to funding on …
Government response. The Government is committed to publishing the Levelling Up White Paper to articulate how we will improve livelihoods across the country as we recover from the pandemic, and level up in every part of the country, from Aberdeen to Aylesbury, …
Department for Business and Trade
6
Recommendation
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
We recommend that the promised Levelling Up White Paper sets out a coherent plan for levelling up. This must set out, in detail, a road map and timeline for the delivery of the wide range of policies proposed. Fundamentally, it must set out what problems and issues these policies are …
Government response. We welcome the Committee’s comments on this crucial delivery issue, which reflect the Government’s own ambitions to have strong, effective and tailored local Government which works for the citizens they represent. The first, and most important, imperative on this agenda …
Department for Business and Trade
7
Recommendation
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
Despite its large-scale ambition and promised additional funding, it is unclear whether the levels of funding available to local areas (via levelling up) will equal, never mind exceed, historic levels of UK and EU funding to local government. Given the state of public finances following Covid-19, the Government should be …
Government response. The Government is committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK and the recent machinery of Government changes established the DLUHC at the centre of this strategy, working with departments right across Government. For all Government spending, at Spending Review …
Department for Business and Trade
8
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
Nor is it clear how levelling up is different to past regional policy and how it will therefore succeed in areas where previous regional policy has failed. Ministers offered no adequate response to this.
Government response. The Government is committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK and the recent machinery of Government changes established the DLUHC at the centre of this strategy, working with departments right across Government. For all Government spending, at Spending Review …
Department for Business and Trade
9
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
The funding available to achieve levelling up is disparate and lacking any overall coherent strategic purpose or focus. Individual departments should be clear on what their contribution to levelling up will be in line with a clear strategy and agenda.
Government response. The Government is committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK and the recent machinery of Government changes established the DLUHC at the centre of this strategy, working with departments right across Government. For all Government spending, at Spending Review …
Department for Business and Trade
10
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
Funding for levelling up should be explicitly and directly linked to the identified issues that the Government are seeking to address, with clear metrics on what that money is seeking to deliver. There is an inequality in the capacity of local areas to bid for government funds. Whitehall should have …
Government response. The Government is committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK and the recent machinery of Government changes established the DLUHC at the centre of this strategy, working with departments right across Government. For all Government spending, at Spending Review …
Department for Business and Trade
11
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
Regional and local devolution is incoherent and inconsistent across England. In some areas, this can result in duplicative and ineffective outputs. In other areas, this results in communities which feel left behind, without the support or capacity provided by other tiers of local or regional government.
Government response. the development of Local Industrial Strategies has been hugely helpful in developing our understanding of local economies across the UK and informing Government’s drive to boost economic development up and down the country. to drive forward growth in their respective …
Department for Business and Trade
12
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
The Levelling Up White Paper (incorporating the Devolution White Paper) needs to be bold and progressive. It should clarify which tiers of devolved and local government in England are responsible for delivering which levelling up objectives and then ensure those tiers are adequately resourced to deliver on those objectives, as …
Government response. We agree with the importance of clear direction on which Department is responsible for delivering what and appreciate this thorough recommendation. We hope that the recent steps to transform the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government into the DLUHC …
Department for Business and Trade
13
Recommendation
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
We noted that some regional and local authorities performed better than others, which in some cases was due to the size, institutional capacity or leadership provided within those tiers of government. We recommend that Ministers consider how to 34 Post-pandemic economic growth: Levelling up report on the effectiveness of different …
Government response. The Government is committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK and the recent machinery of Government changes established the DLUHC at the centre of this strategy, working with departments right across Government. For all Government spending, at Spending Review …
Department for Business and Trade
14
Recommendation
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
As we highlighted in our recent report on industrial policy, the local industrial and economic insights and intelligence that came from creating Local Industrial Strategies should not be lost. We recommend that the Government provide support and funding through its new regional Cities and Local Growth Unit teams to update …
Government response. We are grateful for this recommendation and can say that the work carried out through the development of Local Industrial Strategies has been hugely helpful in developing our understanding of local economies across the UK and informing Government’s drive to …
Department for Business and Trade
15
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
We also recommend that the Cities and Local Growth Unit work with the Office for National Statistics to agree a uniform set of local economic metrics to determine progress in achieving them.
Government response. The Government is committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK and the recent machinery of Government changes established the DLUHC at the centre of this strategy, working with departments right across Government. For all Government spending, at Spending Review …
Department for Business and Trade
16
Recommendation
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
There should be a clear direction from No10 on which Department will be responsible for delivering which outcomes and how. We recommend that the Government establish a Cabinet Committee to oversee the co-ordination and delivery of the levelling up agenda across Whitehall, co-ordinating funding allocations and delivery with the devolved …
Government response. We agree with the importance of clear direction on which Department is responsible for delivering what and appreciate this thorough recommendation. We hope that the recent steps to transform the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government into the DLUHC …
Department for Business and Trade
17
Recommendation
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
We recommend that the Government should set out what it envisages a ‘levelled up UK’ would look like and agree a set of metrics by which progress towards this vision can be measured. We recommend that the assessments should be based on measurable outcomes linked to short, medium and long-term …
Government response. The Government is committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK and the recent machinery of Government changes established the DLUHC at the centre of this strategy, working with departments right across Government. For all Government spending, at Spending Review …
Department for Business and Trade
18
Conclusion
Third Report - Post-pandemic economic g…
The Government needs to set metrics on levelling up for each Department. Performance against these metrics should be published annually and monitored by the National Audit Office. (Paragraph 78) Post-pandemic economic growth: Levelling up 35
Government response. The Government is committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK and the recent machinery of Government changes established the DLUHC at the centre of this strategy, working with departments right across Government. For all Government spending, at Spending Review …
Department for Business and Trade