NORTHERN Mayors, civic and business leaders are calling on the Government and Opposition to commit to ‘hard-wiring’ levelling up into UK law. This would mean a move away from the current competitive bidding systems for Government funding, which picks winners and losers, to a settlement where all regions have the funding they need to close the gaps in living standards and help grow the UK economy as a whole.
The call follows the Government’s Levelling Up Fund announcement last week, which saw some local authorities receive short-term pots of money for local projects – but many councils also losing out. The Levelling Up Secretary and Shadow Secretary, Michael Gove MP and Lisa Nandy MP, are due address the annual Convention of the North in Manchester on Wednesday.
The plan to hard-wire levelling up in to UK law takes inspiration from Germany, where the Constitution guarantees equivalent living standards and strong local leadership. This approach would help the North to unlock the potential of its assets, boost its contribution to UK plc and improve the lives of people across the region.
Currently, that potential is being held back by clear disparities between the North and London and the South East when it comes to key living standards
For example raising female healthy life expectancyto the level of the South East would increase it by 3.5 years in the North West, 3.8 years in Yorkshire & the Humber, and 6.2 years in the North East and raising Male healthy life expectancy to the level of the South East would increase it by 4 years in the North West, 4.4 years in Yorkshire & the Humber, and 6.4 years in the North East.
Increasing average (median) weekly earnings to the level of London would increase them by £162 in the North West, £171 in Yorkshire & the Humber, and £185 in the North East.
Closing these gaps will be vital not only to improving outcomes for millions of people throughout the North West, North East and Yorkshire & the Humber, but also to growing the UK economy as a whole.
Carsten Schneider, the Minister for East Germany and Equivalent Living Conditions in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ Government, will address the Convention by video, setting out his country’s model of levelling up:
“Regional structural policy has long been a cornerstone of German politics. The goal of creating equal living conditions everywhere in Germany can even be found in our constitution. There are good reasons for it. If regions are drifting apart, it is bad for everyone, including for the growing regions. If a variety of regions flourish, the whole country will prosper.”
The plans to hard-wire levelling up into UK law will be set out by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Jamie Driscoll, Mayor of the North of Tyne, Cllr Bev Craig, Convention of the North Co-Chair and Leader of Manchester City Council, and Convention of the North Co-Chair and NP11 Chair, Sir Roger Marsh, at Convention of the North in Manchester.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
“The Levelling Up Fund announcement last week laid bare the issues with these short-term competitive funding pots. We end up with winners and losers but nobody is able to actually plan for long-term investment in their areas. Hard-wiring levelling up into UK law would move us away from policy by press release and start to tackle the unequal living standards we have in our country. If we were able to close the gaps between the North and London and the South East, we’d see drastic improvements in everything from incomes to skills, to ultimately boosting life expectancy. This would of course be good for people in the North, but would also help grow the UK economy as a whole.
“Germany shows us what can be done when you hard-wire legal guarantees to tackle inequalities and empower local leaders into the fabric of your country. East Germany has seen long-term support and investment since the fall of communism – and it has worked. Cities in Eastern Germany are now powering ahead of cities here in the North.
“Our own history has shown us that, too often, the North struggles to get to the top of the Government’s to-do list – whichever political party is in charge. That’s why we need to hard-wire levelling up into UK law and unlock the potential of the North to help the whole country thrive.”
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council and Co-Chair of Convention of the North, said:
“Across the North, we still too often face disparities of wealth, health and opportunity that could be redressed through a long-term approach to investment and infrastructure.
“Cities such as Manchester have a clear understanding of where investment is needed to generate growth that benefits everyone, and we are best placed to be able to deliver.
“For Levelling Up to be a coherent and effective policy, rather than a mere slogan, it needs to move away from being a competitive bidding process – with the rationale for decisions unclear – to a consistent, long-term approach which directs more funding to the areas which need it most and gives them control over how they best use it.”
