Parts of Greater Manchester have yet to see any Levelling Up cash even though nearly half the Government’s £4.8 billion funding pot designed to tackle regional inequalities has already been spent, according to The Salvation Army.
The warning from the Church and Charity, which has identified Oldham, Wigan, Rochdale and Stokport as some of the areas that will miss out, follows the release of the Government’s White Paper on levelling up the country.
The Salvation Army has welcomed the Government’s plans to increase opportunities, raise wages and provide decent housing across the UK. However, its calling for a rethink of how local need is calculated to ensure investment in communities where people are desperate for training and stable job opportunities. It believes Levelling Up funding should help develop local labour markets in areas that rely heavily on low skilled and low paid seasonal work or in shrinking industries.
Major David Taylor, Divisional Leader of The Salvation Army in the North West said: “The people who come to our food banks, debt and employment advice services in Greater Manchester want to work but are often held back by things beyond their control. Poorly paid seasonal work, lack of access to affordable childcare or just no opportunity to retrain when a large local employer shuts, can trap people and entire areas in deprivation. The Levelling Up Fund is a chance to invest in the people of Greater Manchester that don’t want a handout but a hand up.
“We are not criticising where funding has been allocated so far. However, with almost half the funding already spent, we are asking the Government to focus what money is left on those areas with the highest level of deprivation.
“The commitment to Level Up is a bold Government policy, but an equal playing field means reaching out to those desperate for help to make a better life for themselves and their children. Without funding, these communities will fall even deeper into social deprivation.”
The Salvation Army is calling for the Government to reconsider how funding is allocated from the Levelling Up Fund, to ensure investment is made in the most deprived communities,develop a new plan of investment to fund childcare so that parents can access work and training opportunities,invest in skills and employment support to help individuals out of low-skill, low-wage employment and engage with communities to identify what investment will best ‘Level Up’ their areas.
