Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Funding for levelling up should be explicitly and directly linked to the identified issues that...
Conclusion
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 mechanisms or procedures in place to ensure that it is not the most well-resourced authorities who are successful in securing funding. The Government needs to ensure that those without this capacity do not lose out, including ensuring appropriate funding is available for future rounds. (Paragraph 46) Delivering Levelling up
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
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 2020, all departments agreed provisional priority outcomes across all UK government departments, which have been published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2020-documents One of DLUHC’s priority outcomes is to “Raise productivity and empower places so that everyone across the country can benefit from levelling up”. This has been agreed on a cross-cutting basis, with BEIS, DCMS, Defra, DfE, DfT, DIT, and DWP as contributing departments. These outcomes were then embedded by departments into Outcome Delivery Plans, which were published in July 2021 here. These set out strategy and planning information for delivering the priority outcomes and for delivering on strategic “enabling” activities that are crucial to successful delivery. This also provides transparency so that the Department can be held to account whilst also making links to activity led by other departments which contribute towards levelling up. Updated priority outcomes and metrics will be published at the next Spending Review. Outcome Delivery Plans will continue to be used to ensure departmental accountability and delivery against agreed outcomes.