The UK has unveiled 12 goals under its Levelling Up programme, which it hopes will close the gap between the more affluent south and the "forgotten" north by 2030, in what it describes as the "biggest shift of power from London to local leaders" in modern times.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove released the delayed White Paper on Wednesday which finally outlines how Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government intends to fulfil its 2019 election pledge to bridge the divide.
Pay rises, improved school standards, longer life expectancy and crime reduction all form part of the 12 key targets, which the success of Mr Johnson’s Levelling Up agenda will be tested against.
The release comes as Mr Johnson attempts to fight calls for his resignation amid damaging revelations of parties at his Downing Street office during Covid-19 lockdowns and the release of an investigative report this week which pointed to "serious failures of leadership" at the heart of British government.
Boris Johnson pledges to break the link between geography and destiny
He won voters from the opposition Labour Party in 2019 in traditional so-called Red Wall seats with the promise of tackling regional inequalities between former industrial areas and London and the south-east.
On Wednesday, he pledged to break the divide.
"From day one, the defining mission of this government has been to level up this country, to break the link between geography and destiny so that no matter where you live you have access to the same opportunities," Mr Johnson said.
“The challenges we face have been embedded over generations and cannot be dug out overnight, but this White Paper is the next crucial step.
“It is the most comprehensive, ambitious plan of its kind that this country has ever seen and it will ensure that the government continues to rise to the challenge and deliver for the people of the UK.”
Key measures in the plan include creating more local mayors, a commitment to boost public investment outside the south-east of England, a regeneration of town centres and a bid to eliminate illiteracy and innumeracy among primary school leavers.
1. Pledge to increase pay and productivity across the UK
The first target is to increase pay, employment and productivity across all parts of the UK, with each area containing a “globally competitive” city.
2. Domestic public investment in research and development outside the south to increase by 40%
The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has committed to invest at least 55 per cent of their domestic research and development funding outside the Greater South-East by 2024/5.
Commitments to increase public investment have also been made by a number of government bodies, including the Department for Health and Social Care which will be increasing its medical research investment outside London, Oxford and Cambridge.
3. Local public transport across the country will be 'significantly closer' to the standards of London
The government has pledged to improve services, with simpler fares and integrated ticketing.
It will fund ambitious plans for bus improvements, including the mayoral city-regions, Stoke-on-Trent, Derbyshire and Warrington.
4. Nationwide broadband with 5G coverage for the majority
The UK will have nationwide gigabit-capable broadband and 4G coverage, with 5G coverage for the majority of the population, the White Paper says.
5. Increasing education standards in the worst areas of England by a third
Mr Johnson is aiming to see 90 per cent of primary schoolchildren in England achieving the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, with the percentage meeting those aims in the worst-performing areas to have increased by a third.
The government hopes to effectively eliminate illiteracy and innumeracy among primary school leavers and will be focusing education efforts on the most disadvantaged parts of the country.
There will be 55 education investment areas designated in parts of England where school outcomes are currently weakest, 95 per cent of which are outside London and the South-East.
These areas will benefit from intensive investment and support to ensure the worst-off schools in the north, Midlands, south-west and east of England receive the most support over the decade.
They will be supported by the Department for Education offering payments to schools to ensure they can retain the best teachers.
6. Thousands of lowest skilled workers to be given training
About 200,000 more people in England will complete high quality skills training annually, including 80,000 in the lowest-skilled parts of the country, it has said.
Local Skills Improvement Plans will be introduced with funding across England, giving local employer bodies and stakeholders a statutory role in planning skills training in their area, to better meet local labour market needs.
7. Life expectancy gap to be narrowed
The gap in healthy life expectancy (HLE) between the highest and lowest areas will have narrowed, and by 2035 HLE will rise by five years, the government says.
8. Pledge to improve people's well-being
There will be improved “well-being” in all parts of the UK, with the gap between the top performing and lowest performing areas closing.
9. Regeneration of town centres
All parts of the UK will have improved “pride in place”, assessed by measures such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community.
The most rundown town centres and communities across the country will be rejuvenated with funding.
10. First-time buyers to increase with opportunities for people to buy rental properties
People renting their homes will have a secure path to ownership with the number of first-time buyers increasing in all areas.
The government is aiming to reduce the number of “non-decent” rented homes by 50 per cent by 2030 and for the first time all homes in the Private Rented Sector will have to meet a minimum standard ― the Decent Homes Standard.
"We will consult on introducing a landlords register, and will set out plans for a crackdown on rogue landlords - making sure fines and bans stop repeat offenders leaving renters in terrible conditions," the plan says.
The policy is committed to building more affordable housing to boost home ownership with a new £1.5 billion Levelling Up Home Building Fund which will provide loans to SMEs and support the UK government’s wider regeneration agenda in areas that are a priority.
11. Plans to reduce violent crime
It is aimed at achieving an overall fall in murders, serious violence, and other crimes by 2030 and will be focusing on the UK's worst-affected areas.
An investment package of £50 million from the Safer Streets Fund will be invested every year to give Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities the resources they need to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour. Offenders will get more unpaid work hours and police officers will be given powers to deal with noise nuisance.
12. Devolution deals for every part of England
Every part of England that wants one will have a London-style devolution deal and a simplified, long-term funding settlement.
It will mean areas outside London could move to a London-style transport system to connect people to opportunity, improve local skills provision or be able to act more flexibly and innovatively to respond to local need. A £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be decentralised to local leaders, with investments set to regenerate communities, boost people’s skills, and support local businesses.
Architect of White Paper says 'historic injustice' will be reversed
Mr Gove, the architect of the plan who will be responsible for driving through the changes, said these measures will end a “historic injustice”.
“For decades, too many communities have been overlooked and undervalued. As some areas have flourished, others have been left in a cycle of decline. The UK has been like a jet firing on only one engine,” he said.
“This will not be an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but our 12 new national levelling up missions will drive real change in towns and cities across the UK, so that where you live will no longer determine how far you can go.”
Critics say plans 'lack substance'
Political opponents have said the initiative is populist and lacks substance or new money, and local leaders will be looking closely at whether there is any new spending in the plan.
Lisa Nandy, the opposition Labour spokeswoman for the policy, described the new policy as "recycled pots of money".
She said many areas were still being damaged by cuts to local funding imposed by the Conservatives in the last decade.
She said local towns will only thrive when people had enough money to spend, something that will become more difficult when taxes, energy bills and food prices rise this year.
