Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee

Conclusion 2

Third Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: Levelling up Published 22 Jul 2021 Paragraph 15 Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee Post-pandemic economic growth: Levelling up - local and regional structures and the delivery of economic growth All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Conclusion (the committee's words)

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, and without any means in place of evaluating or assessing its impact or efficacy as policy in ‘improving everyday life and life chances’.

From: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, Third Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: Levelling up (HC 566), paragraph 15, 22 July 2021

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 3 December 2021 (deadline 22 September 2021).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government's response welcomes the Committee's report as a contribution to the forthcoming Levelling Up White Paper, accepting some recommendations while stating it has answered others only "insofar as possible without prejudicing live policy development".

On Covid-19 analysis, it "recognise[s] the importance" of factoring this into levelling up planning and says it is undertaking "a programme of work" to understand structural shifts in the economy, to feed into the agenda.
On a coherent plan, it is "committed to publishing" the Levelling Up White Paper and says "Further detail on our plans will be included" there, without giving a date or a detailed road map.
On departmental contributions, it "agree[s] with the Committee's recommendation" and says the White Paper "will assist in setting out how the work of different Departments fits into a wider Levelling Up strategy".
On metrics and accountability, it points to Spending Review 2020 priority outcomes and Outcome Delivery Plans, and says "Updated priority outcomes and metrics will be published at the next Spending Review."

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