10 ways councils are making budgets go further
Discover 10 ways councils are stretching budgets further, from digital transformation and energy efficiency to community partnerships and data-driven decision-making.
EXCLUSIVE: Labour axes expert levelling up group
14/11/2024 An expert group advising the Government on reducing inequalities has been disbanded by Labour. |
More than £2.5bn for communities ‘stuck in limbo’
28/10/2024 More than £2.5bn in funding agreed by the previous government for local growth is stuck in limbo, a think-tank has found. |
Blyth to be site of biggest AI data centre in Europe
26/09/2024 A £10bn investment aimed at delivering the biggest AI data centre in Europe could create thousands of jobs for the local community in Blyth, PM says. |
Regeneration projects threatened by £20m funding delay
14/08/2024 Newark and Sherwood DC has warned that a delay in making available £20m of levelling up funding is preventing regeneration projects from being delivered. |
Department ditches 'levelling up' moniker
08/07/2024 PM Keir Starmer has ditched Whitehall’s 'levelling up' department and re-named it with immediate effect – signalling an end to the controversial brand. |
Levelling up progress ‘glacial’, think tank says
19/06/2024 Progress on levelling up in England has been ‘glacial’ and – according to some metrics – inequality has got worse, a new analysis by the IFS has revealed. |
Council buys two sites for £19.5m regen scheme
17/06/2024 Dorset Council has bought two parcels of brownfield land as part of its plans to regenerate Weymouth’s waterfront economy. |
NextGov: Boosting social mobility
13/06/2024 Carl Cullinane, director of Research and Policy at the Sutton Trust, looks at what the next government should do to deliver greater social mobility. |
Stoke-on-Trent council welcomes last-minute £20m levelling up funding
28/05/2024 Stoke-on-Trent City Council has welcomed the approval of £20m in Levelling Up Partnership funding, describing the last-minute decision as a ‘relief’. |
Torbay Council secures £20m regeneration boost
22/05/2024 Torbay has been named as the latest place to benefit from a multi-million-pound tailored levelling up regeneration programme. |
Sir Marmot sends MPs damning letter on their constituents’ health
01/05/2024 Health inequality expert Sir Michael Marmot has urged MPs and council leaders to act after a report found government policies were ‘cutting people’s lives short’. |
Watchdog should investigate Teesworks freeport, MPs say
26/04/2024 MPs have recommended that the National Audit Office (NAO) should investigate the finances of the controversial Teesworks regeneration project. |
Addressing regional inequalities
18/04/2024 Andrew Borland, Chief Innovation Officer at the Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC), University of Liverpool discusses the importance of levelling up for growth. |
Dashboard compares healthy life expectancy across councils
10/04/2024 A data tool to compare healthy life expectancy across all councils in England has been launched by The Health Foundation. |
Council tax rises leading to ‘levelling down’
22/03/2024 Households in the Northeast are set to pay £420 more for an average band D property in council tax than those in Greater London. |
Levelling up plagued by ‘astonishing delays’
15/03/2024 The Government’s levelling up agenda has been characterised by ‘astonishing delays’ and blind optimism, according to Parliament’s spending watchdog. |
Less than 20% of levelling up projects completed
04/03/2024 Fewer than a fifth of projects backed by the Government's £3.6bn Towns Fund were on track to be completed by the end of February, FOI requests have revealed. |
More areas get level four devolution powers
01/03/2024 West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the Liverpool city region will all receive level four devolved powers, local government secretary Michael Gove has announced. |
Levelling up requires ‘meaningful’ devolution, business group says
20/02/2024 Business leaders have called for ‘meaningful decision-making powers’ to be devolved to local authorities to help boost left-behind regions. |
Council to consider levelling up fund judicial review
30/01/2024 Durham County Council will consider seeking a judicial review into how the Government allocated levelling up funding after the authority spent £1.2m on failed bids. |
Levelling up must continue, urges think-tank
22/01/2024 Efforts to level up the country and devolve more powers to local government should continue following the General Election, a think-tank has urged. |
MPs criticise ‘glacial’ progress of levelling up projects
16/01/2024 Mandarins from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities faced the Public Accounts Committee. |
Levelling Up Fund allocated
20/11/2023 The third round of the Levelling Up Fund has been awarded to unsuccessful bids from round two. |
Autumn Statement 2023: Where does all the HS2 money go now?
20/11/2023 Jessica Bowles, director of strategic partnerships and impact at Bruntwood, discusses the future of Northern Powerhouse Rail. |
Economic pessimism a ‘damning indictment’ of levelling up
20/11/2023 Half of people think Conservative policies would have a negative impact on their local economy over the next five years, a think-tank has found. |
Levelling up ambitions blighted by delays, says NAO
17/11/2023 Ministers’ levelling up ambitions have been blighted by delays to key construction projects, with many deadlines unlikely to be met, the UK’s spending watchdog has warned. |
Tory backbenchers pile pressure on Government
25/10/2023 The Government has withstood pressure from its own MPs to allow councils to hold remote meetings. |
Council seeks HS2 compensation over 'levelling down'
25/10/2023 Cheshire East Council is pursuing compensation over the Government’s decision to scrap HS2 north of Birmingham. |
State of rivers ‘hangs in the balance’ amid pollution climbdown
24/10/2023 The Government has reportedly abandoned its plans to scrap nutrient neutrality rules. |
Post-Party Conference Season: What does levelling up look like from a local perspective?
20/10/2023 Andy Rumfitt, head of Business Cases and Funding at Turley, reflects on what the future of levelling up looks like following the party conferences. |
Government ‘dodges scrutiny’ in levelling up Bill amendment
18/10/2023 Both rural campaigners and planners have raised concerns that communities were sidelined in yesterday’s amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. |
Commission calls for £30bn public infrastructure investment
18/10/2023 Government should invest £30bn a year into public infrastructure to level up struggling areas and tackle climate change, says infrastructure commission. |
£7m project to turn bank into flats
16/10/2023 A former Lloyds Bank in Hull will be refurbished into 46 residential properties with support from levelling up funding. |
Fifty-five ‘left-behind’ towns to share £1bn
02/10/2023 Fifty-five towns across the UK are set to benefit from a £1.1bn levelling up investment, the Prime Minister has announced. |
Council injects £6m into former mining village after failed funding bid
20/09/2023 Durham County Council will spend £6m as part of plans to regenerate the village of Horden, where homes are on the market for just £5,000. |
Government fails to block levelling up Bill amendments
19/09/2023 The Government suffered a flurry of last-minute defeats as the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill completed its journey through the House of Lords. |
Level up seaside towns or lose power, Conservatives told
19/09/2023 The Conservative Government must level up England’s struggling coastal communities or risk losing 113 seaside seats to Labour, a conservative think tank warns. |
Government defeated over planning fees
15/09/2023 Councils would be able to vary fees for planning applications under amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. |
‘Levelling up? my a**e’: HS2 faces new axe threat
15/09/2023 Contractors have reacted furiously to reports that ministers are considering cancelling the second phase of HS2, which is due to take the high speed rail line to Manchester. |
Lords block plans to scrap nutrient neutrality rules
14/09/2023 The Government’s attempt to scrap nutrient neutrality rules has been defeated in the House of Lords. |
Councils ‘spending £5m a week to subsidise planning services’
13/09/2023 Subsidising planning services is costing authorities almost £5m a week as they await a proposed fee increase to help cover the cost of processing applications, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Mandatory housing targets rejected
07/09/2023 An amendment to the levelling up Bill for mandatory housebuilding targets has been rejected by the House of Lords. |
Rayner takes levelling up role as Starmer shuffles his pack
04/09/2023 Labour leader Keir Starmer has appointed his deputy Angela Rayner as the party’s new shadow levelling up secretary. |
Levelling up for the next generation
30/08/2023 John Rayson, Atkins’ managing director for the North, asks if the aspirations of the next generation align with decision-makers in the North. |
Liverpool to provide 4,500 tablets to tackle digital exclusion
18/08/2023 More than 4,500 people in the Liverpool City Region will receive free tablets, internet access and training as part of a scheme to bridge the UK’s ‘digital divide’. |
Local government funding system has 'broken down'
15/08/2023 The funding system for local government has ‘broken down’ and what councils currently receive from Whitehall and council tax barely reflects need, a think-tank has warned. |
Haldane: Levelling up a 'mixed bag'
17/07/2023 Most people have yet to see the fruits of levelling up, according to a key Government adviser. |
South Yorkshire named as UK’s first investment zone
17/07/2023 South Yorkshire was named by the Government on Friday as the site of the first UK investment zone. |
Levelling up partnership launched
05/07/2023 A levelling up partnership bringing together organisations in the East of England to work alongside Government, has been launched. |
Call for Government to scrap Levelling Up Fund bidding
15/06/2023 Councils have called for the remaining £1bn in the Levelling Up Fund to be ‘allocated on the basis of robust evidence and local need’. |
North of Tyne Combined Authority agrees £30m investment
14/06/2023 North of Tyne Combined Authority has agreed a £30m investment to 'breathe new life' into a former coal mining town. |
Long-term solution sought to drainage board pressure
12/06/2023 Councils are seeking a ‘long-term solution’ as internal drainage boards (IDB) warn increasing energy costs will pile further pressure on council budgets. |
Fire up Northern Powerhouse 2.0, urges Osborne
12/06/2023 Former chancellor George Osborne has urged the Government to ‘fire up Northern Powerhouse 2.0’ as he backed more devolution for the North. |
MPs call for research into green energy from coal pits
12/06/2023 MPs have called for an investigation on whether water in former coal pits could be used to provide green energy. |
Manchester 'frustrated' at pace of devolution
08/06/2023 Manchester’s leader has said there is ‘a long way to go’ to meet the city’s devolution ambitions. |
Levelling up will fail without long-term funding
26/05/2023 The Government’s levelling up policy will fail without long-term funding for councils, MPs have warned. |
North misses out on £21m of levelling up funding
23/05/2023 Local authority areas in the North have missed out on £21m of funding from the Government’s flagship levelling up fund, a new study has revealed. |
Betts questions Treasury trust of DLUHC
28/04/2023 An MP has criticised a ministerial response, warning it fails to ‘dispute the notion the Treasury no longer appears to trust’ the levelling up department. |
Poorest councils suffer cuts three times higher than richest
26/04/2023 The poorest councils have suffered cuts in Government funding nearly three times higher than the richest, according to a research group. |
Report shows stark variations in levelling up funding
25/04/2023 Competitive bidding has led to a £0.5bn gap in levelling up cash between the best and least funded combined authorities, according to new analysis. |
Budget 2023: Hunt sounds the death knell for LEPs
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has unveiled a Budget which has sounded the death knell for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), but revived the levelling up agenda. |
Betts demands answers after Treasury clampdown on DLUHC spending
14/03/2023 A senior MP has written to ministers raising concerns about the Treasury’s oversight of Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities capital spending. |
Chancellor to announce investment zones backed by £80m
14/03/2023 Twelve investment zones, each backed by £80m, will be announced tomorrow as part of the effort to boost local growth and level up left behind areas. |
Levelling up committee launches local audit inquiry
03/03/2023 An inquiry into financial audit in local authorities has been launched to ensure councils are financially sustainable and remain accountable to residents. |
Levelling up Bill ‘insulting’ to districts
28/02/2023 Peers have called for greater recognition of district councils in combined county authorities (CCAs). |
Nottingham council spends £250,000 on failed levelling-up bids
27/02/2023 Nottingham City Council spent more than £250,000 on unsuccessful bids for support from the ‘leveling up’ fund, according to new information. |
Lowest-funded councils call for funding reform
20/02/2023 The lowest-funded councils that make up the F20 group have called on the Government to address the ‘long overdue’ issue of local government funding reform. |
Aberdeenshire Council accepts £20m levelling up grant
14/02/2023 Aberdeenshire Council has accepted a £20m grant from the UK Government’s levelling up fund. |
Treasury tightens grip over DLUHC spending
08/02/2023 New capital projects by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) will now have to be approved by the Treasury. |
Anti-social behaviour should be top priority, says report
07/02/2023 Tackling anti-social behaviour must become a central tenet of levelling up if the agenda is to succeed, a think-tank has warned. |
‘Hidden’ unemployment rates reveal deepening divides
31/01/2023 Nine out of 10 of the UK’s cities and towns with the highest hidden unemployment rates are in the North, new study reveals. |
Khan condemns system of ‘begging’ for levelling up cash
31/01/2023 London mayor Sadiq Khan has accused the Government of forcing councils to waste money bidding for cash as part of the ‘levelling up’ policy. |
Levelling up directors could be scrapped
24/01/2023 Plans to appoint a dozen levelling up directors may be scrapped, a minister has admitted. |
Minister admits to shifting goalposts on levelling up bids
23/01/2023 A Government minister has admitted to shifting the rules on Levelling Up Fund bids after applications had been submitted. |
Council chiefs blast ‘costly’ approach to levelling up
19/01/2023 Councils have demanded a new way of funding the sector following the announcement of the Levelling Up Fund second round winners. |
London losing out on levelling up funding, says Mayor
15/12/2022 London is losing out on hundreds of millions of pounds of levelling up funding despite having some of the most deprived areas in the country, Mayor Khan says. |
Dozens of pubs saved by nearly £7m boost
12/12/2022 More than 30 pubs, clubs, theatres and other venues at risk of closure have been placed in the hands of local people thanks to £6.67m of levelling up funding. |
Transforming Dorset’s planning system as a new unitary authority
02/12/2022 Cllr David Walsh, portfolio holder for planning, Dorset Council looks at how levelling up opportunities for infrastructure improvements are put into practice. |
Future Forum North: Build individual relationships with mandarins
02/12/2022 Councils need to build individual relationships with Whitehall civil servants if they want to achieve positive outcomes, a former senior mandarin has advised. |
Council chiefs call for ‘clarity’ on post-Brexit fund
30/11/2022 Local authority leaders today called for ‘clarity’ on the future of the delayed post-Brexit shared prosperity fund. |
Think tank warns against ‘anti-London sentiment’
30/11/2022 A think tank has accused policymakers of ‘anti-London sentiment’ and urged Whitehall to do more to include the capital in the levelling up agenda. |
It’s time to re-think the retail-dominated model of our high streets
25/11/2022 With levelling up back on the agenda, Nick Plumb argues there is a need for a new approach to our high streets that moves beyond the retail-dominated model. |
Reeves to make case for economic devolution
23/11/2022 The shadow chancellor will make the case for ‘deeper and broader’ economic devolution as Labour stresses the need for ‘more local powers’ over the economy. |
County leaders call for devolution to be ‘turbocharged’
21/11/2022 County council leaders have called on the Government to ‘turbocharge’ devolution to help them level up by attracting more foreign direct investment (FDI). |
Autumn Statement: Northern Powerhouse Rail to be 'core' only
17/11/2022 The chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed hopes for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) to be completed in full have been dashed. |
Ministers urged to break the link between drugs and deprivation
14/11/2022 Around 1,600 drug-related deaths could be prevented in the North and Scotland if the Government ensures drugs policy reform is included in levelling up plans, a think tank has argued today. |
Cultural institutions face ‘existential threat’, MPs warn
02/11/2022 Theatres, museums and leisure centres in historically left behind areas are facing an ‘existential threat’ from the cost-of-living crisis, MPs warn. |
The place principle
02/11/2022 Chris Malcolm discusses how a holistic, people-centric vision can achieve better results across publicly funded projects. |
‘Disjointed’ council funding undermines levelling up
20/10/2022 Cuts to public services and a local authority funding system that is ‘disjointed’ threatens to undermine the levelling up agenda, financial experts warn. |
Levelling up fails North East, study reveals
07/10/2022 The Government’s flagship policy of levelling up and closing the North/South divide has failed to benefit the North East, a new study has found. |
Councils warn of £2.5bn ‘threat’ to services
04/10/2022 Two thirds of surveyed councils said they either faced a ‘threat’ to or ‘extreme pressure’ on key service delivery over the next financial year, poll reveals. |
Toolkit to level up high street published
27/09/2022 Local authorities will have to prove ‘adept’ in making use of the tools and resources at their disposal if high streets are going to survive, think tank says. |
Nandy pledges to boost council housing
26/09/2022 Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy this week vowed to end the political ‘vandalism’ of UK social housing stock. |
Capitalising on levelling up
26/09/2022 Tim Heatley, co-founder of Capital&Centric, argues that it is a race against time for councils looking to capitalise on levelling up. |
Clarke appointed as local government secretary
06/09/2022 Local government has given new local government secretary Simon Clarke a guarded welcome after he was appointed by new Prime Minister Liz Truss. |
£1.14bn East Midlands devo deal agreed
30/08/2022 A landmark £1.14bn devolution deal for a new combined county authority (CCA) is on offer for the East Midlands, to include a new elected regional mayor. |
Levelling up little more than a ‘slogan’, MPs say
24/08/2022 MPs have criticised the Government’s flagship levelling up Bill for a lack of clarity and funding commitments. |
Grimsby welcomes £8m infrastructure boost
12/08/2022 The leader of North East Lincolnshire Council has welcomed an £8m boost to help repair vital bridges connecting Grimsby and Immingham. |
North-South gap remains wide despite levelling-up rhetoric
09/08/2022 The income gap between the North and the South has remained consistently wide since the early 2000s despite all the talk of levelling-up, think tank says. |
Council ‘disappointed’ at levelling up grouping
29/07/2022 Sefton Council ‘disappointed’ at being grouped with low priority areas for levelling up funds because it has one of the most deprived areas in the country. |
