A Mission to Reduce UK Regional Disparities
Levelling Up is the flagship policy, initially launched by the Conservative government in 2019, aimed at addressing the deep-seated economic, social, and health inequalities between the UK’s most prosperous areas (primarily London and the South East) and the rest of the country. The policy acknowledges that “while talent is spread equally across our country, opportunity is not.”
I. The Core Problem: Entrenched Disparity
The UK is one of the most geographically unequal developed nations. This disparity manifests across several key metrics:
- Productivity: London’s productivity (Gross Value Added per hour worked) is significantly higher than the national average, a gap that has been widening for decades.
- Health: There is a significant gap in Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) between the richest and poorest regions.
- Skills: Educational attainment and the successful completion of high-quality skills training are persistently lower in certain regions, often those with a history of industrial decline.
II. The Levelling Up White Paper and the 12 Missions
In February 2022, the government published the “Levelling Up the United Kingdom” White Paper, which provided a comprehensive strategy anchored by 12 specific, measurable missions to be achieved by 2030. These missions cover a broad spectrum of policy areas:
| Objective | Key Missions (Examples) | Target Metrics by 2030 |
| 1. Boost Productivity | R&D Investment: Increase public R&D investment outside the Greater South East. | Close the pay, employment, and productivity gaps between the top and bottom areas. |
| Transport: Significantly improve public transport connectivity. | Local public transport standards closer to London’s. | |
| Digital: Nationwide gigabit-capable broadband and 4G coverage. | Nationwide gigabit coverage, 5G for most populated areas. | |
| 2. Spread Opportunity | Education & Skills: Raise literacy and numeracy among primary school children. | 90% of children achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. |
| Health: Narrow the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE). | HLE gap narrowed and a national rise of five years by 2035. | |
| 3. Restore Community | Pride in Place: Increase local pride and satisfaction with local areas. | Pride in place will have risen in every area, with the gap between top and bottom closing. |
| Housing: Increase home ownership and reduce non-decent rented homes. | Secure path to ownership for renters, increase in first-time buyers. | |
| 4. Empower Local Leaders | Devolution: Offer devolution deals to every part of England that wants one. | Every part of England that wants one has a devolution deal. |
III. Policy Mechanisms and Key Funds
To deliver these missions, the government has established several targeted funding pots and policy reforms:
- The Levelling Up Fund (£4.8 billion): Provides investment for local infrastructure projects, including town centre regeneration, cultural assets, and local transport improvements.
- The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF): Replaces EU structural funds, designed to improve pride in place, boost local skills, and support local businesses.
- Devolution Deals: The strategy pushes for deeper devolution, granting more power and control over local spending (on transport, skills, and housing) to Mayoral Combined Authorities (e.g., Greater Manchester, West Midlands) and new County Deals. This aims to shift decision-making away from centralised Whitehall.
IV. Criticisms and Challenges
Despite the ambitious vision, the Levelling Up agenda has faced significant and consistent criticism from policy experts, think tanks, and local leaders:
| Criticism Area | Detailed Critique |
| Insufficient Funding Scale | Critics argue that the funds committed are too small and short-term to reverse decades of widening inequality and are outweighed by previous cuts to local government budgets since 2010. |
| Competitive Bidding Process | The reliance on competitive bidding for funds (like the Levelling Up Fund) is seen as inefficient. It favours local authorities with well-resourced bidding teams over those most in need and potentially leads to “pork-barrel politics.” |
| Lack of Devolution | While devolution is a mission, critics argue that the policy remains too centralised, with Whitehall retaining too much control and limiting the ability of local leaders to design genuine, long-term, place-based strategies. |
| “Glacial” Progress | According to reports from organisations like the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), progress towards many of the 2030 missions has been slow, and on some key metrics (like primary school attainment and employment gaps), the country has either stagnated or even regressed since the policy’s launch. |
| Policy Churn | Frequent changes in political leadership and priorities have created instability and uncertainty, which hinders long-term strategic planning at the local level. |
A Long-Term Challenge
Levelling Up represents an overdue political recognition of the profound regional inequalities in the UK. The articulation of the 12 Missions provides an admirable framework for a generational commitment.
However, the consensus among experts is that for the strategy to move beyond rhetoric and deliver genuine, lasting transformation, it requires greater sustained fiscal resource, a significant increase in devolved powers and a shift away from short-term, competitive funding pots towards a stable, long-term funding formula that truly empowers local leaders to address their unique challenges.
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