A senior MP has written to ministers raising concerns about the Treasury’s oversight of Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) capital spending.
Chair of the House of Commons’ Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Clive Betts, yesterday wrote to local government minister Dehenna Davison after the Government confirmed last month that DLUHC was working ‘within a new delegation approach’ that involved ‘sign off with Treasury on capital spend’.
Within Whitehall, the move was interpreted as Treasury concern over the way DLUHC oversees capital funding and its management of other cash pots – including last-minute changes made to the qualification criteria for the second round of the Levelling Up Fund.
Mr Betts’ committee has been undertaking an inquiry into levelling up funding.
In his letter, the senior Labour Party MP told Ms Davison: ‘We are concerned about what this change means for the department and its policies.’
Mr Betts has demanded answers about the impact of the change, including on the types and definitions of capital spend that fall under the new approach, the impact on current local government capital projects, the potential impact on cash pots such as the Levelling Up Fund and whether the Treasury has raised any other concerns about DLUHC spending.
DLUHC has been approached for a comment.
This article was originally published by The MJ (£).
