Levelling up: Government urged to ‘come clean’ over funding

The Government has been urged to “come clear” about its £4.8 billion levelling up fund after it emerged a number of the most disadvantaged areas of London would miss out.

Figures from City Hall recognized 14 London boroughs that ought to have been prioritised for funding primarily based on their excessive ranges of poverty, however solely two have been given “precedence one” within the Government scheme.

Waltham Forest, Brent, Enfield and Lewisham have been simply a number of the boroughs that weren’t given precedence.

The funding, introduced within the Chancellor’s price range this week and meant to assist the UK’s most disadvantaged areas to “degree up”, solely recognized Newham and Barking and Dagenham as priorities in London, regardless of a number of extra prosperous areas exterior the capital receiving funds, together with Rishi Sunak’s constituency of Richmond in Yorkshire.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has hit out at what he has known as “blatant unfairness” and he has urged the Government to “come clear” about the way it the way it determined the place cash ought to go.

Mr Khan mentioned: “I absolutely help levelling up these bits of the nation which are left behind, however the reality is that London has a number of the most disadvantaged communities of anyplace within the nation, with stark inequalities in well being and life expectancy, made even worse by the pandemic. It subsequently beggars perception that the very bits of London needing levelling up have nearly been ignored from Government funding devoted to speaking inequality.

“Our evaluation reveals that, primarily based on ranges of deprivation, 14 boroughs ought to have been given the very best precedence for funding, but solely two have. Ministers want to now come clear about this blatant unfairness. These formulation for funding can’t be cooked up behind closed door – Londoners deserve full transparency about how these selections are made and why our communities have missed out. Otherwise there’s greater than a whiff of pork barrel politics about it.”

The Mayor of London has accused the Government of displaying “fixed anti-London rhetoric” and has mentioned that “levelling down London will solely make us all poorer”.

Despite Tower Hamlets being probably the most disadvantaged boroughs within the capital with a poverty fee of 39 per cent, it was solely given “precedence three” within the levelling up fund.

Using the Index of Multiple Deprivation, a extensively used measure of poverty, City Hall recognized the next boroughs that ought to have been given precedence one:

  • Barking and Dagenham
  • Hackney
  • Newham
  • Tower Hamlets
  • Islington
  • Lewisham
  • Haringey
  • Lambeth
  • Southwark
  • Waltham Forest
  • Brent
  • Enfield
  • Greenwich
  • Ealing

The Government’s Levelling Up Prospectus, printed this month, mentioned that the metrics used for deciding a spot’s precedence have been primarily based on “its want for financial restoration, regeneration and improved connectivity”.

The prospectus additionally mentioned: “Recent and dedicated ranges of Government funding can also be thought of as a part of our evaluation of an space’s want for funding, together with funding from any of the devolved administrations.”

Recommended For You