William Eichler 27 May 2022

MPs call for levelling up funding ‘transparency’

MPs call for levelling up funding ‘transparency’  image
Image: Maddie Red/Shutterstock.com.

MPs have called for ‘more information and more transparency’ when it comes to levelling up grants and funding pots.

Clive Betts, chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee, has written to levelling-up minister Neil O’Brien asking for clarity around the funds available for the levelling-up agenda.

He said that the number of funding streams available makes it ‘impossible for those outside DLUHC [Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities] to assess what precisely is going on.’

Mr Betts listed 10 different funds, including the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Community Ownership Fund, and asked the DLUHC to provide a detailed breakdown of which local authority was benefiting from each fund and how much they were getting.

He said that such a list should be published annually and added that he would also like a list of the councils which put in a bid for funding but were unsuccessful.

'Levelling-up is a crucial part of the Government’s agenda but the complex array of grants and funding pots allocated by the DLUHC and other Government departments makes it difficult, if not impossible, to assess what precisely is going on to improve communities up and down the country,’ Mr Betts said.

‘As a committee, we want to track the progress of the Government’s levelling-up policy and the funding available and how it is allocated. We will hold evidence sessions on this in the autumn, but to aid our work we are requesting more information and more transparency from the Government now.’

A DLUHC spokesperson said: ‘The process for distributing Levelling Up funding has been published online for everyone to see – we will soon set out a plan for simplifying the way funds are delivered, enabling communities to invest in the priorities that matter to them.

‘Our Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will enshrine our 12 levelling up missions into law and an annual report will be published to track and monitor their progress.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Housing Assurance Service Manager

Kirklees Metropolitan Council
£55,675 - £56,649
We’re building a brand-new assurance team in our Homes & Neighbourhoods service Kirklees, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Trainee Public Health Practitioner

Kirklees Metropolitan Council
£24,404 - £24,790
Working within the Kirklees Public Health Improvement team Kirklees, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Climate Change Officer

Kirklees Metropolitan Council
£40,476 - £42,708
Are you a passionate and enthusiastic Climate Change Officer Kirklees, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Transition Home Manager

Durham County Council
Grade 13 £45,718 - £49,764 (Pay Award Pending)
Could you support young people to realise their individual potential and prepare them for their journey towards independence. NOT JUST A PLACE OF WOR Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

SEND and Inclusion Senior Specialist Support Worker (Communication and Interaction Team)

Durham County Council
Grade 8 £31,586 - £35,235 (Pay Award Pending)
We are recruiting a SEND & Inclusion Senior Specialist Support Worker to join our Specialist SEND & Inclusion Team. We would be particularly intereste Spennymoor
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner