A think tank has demanded the next government reverse council funding cuts and beef up the levelling up Bill after new figures revealed public spending continues to leave the North behind.

The IPPR North research shows that despite nearly three years of the Government’s levelling up agenda public spending in the north of England has remained lower - and grown less - than in other parts of the country.

According to the research, total public spending on the North was £16,223 per person in 2021, an increase of 17 per cent on 2019. This was lower than the England average of £16,309 per person, an increase of 20 per cent on 2019.

Despite the Government’s supposed efforts to move the focus for funding away from the South East, London saw the highest public spending per person and the highest increase during the first three years of the levelling up agenda at £19,231 per person – an increase of 25 per cent.

In addition, the spending gap between the North and the capital is shown to have doubled over the same period – up from £1,513 to £3,008 per person.

With Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss currently battling it out to be the next Conservative party leader and Prime Minister, Marcus Johns, a research fellow at IPPR North, said: ‘On public spending, the money simply didn’t follow the levelling up rhetoric.

‘Candidates to be the next Prime Minister should commit to delivering where their predecessors have not. Reversing cuts to local government and to planned transport projects, beefing up the levelling up Bill to make it a transformative piece of legislation, and going big on opportunity and future proofing the economy.’

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: ‘We do not recognise these figures and are pressing full steam ahead with levelling up the North.

‘We also understand the pressures facing local authorities, which is why we made an additional £3.7 billion available to councils in recognition of their vital role and to ensure they are able to deliver key services.’