Government reveals Levelling Up plans to ‘transform the UK’

The UK government has revealed 12 levelling up missions to bring more focus on “Britain’s forgotten communities” through the ongoing decade.

In the plan’s White Paper, lead by Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove, details cover the task to transform the UK by bringing opportunities and prosperity to all areas. It comes with a ‘system change’ of how the government works, with the implementation of 12 missions that look to be achievable by 2030.

The move will include cross-government, cross-society efforts and involve the likes of pay and employment growth throughout the country.

Research and development, in particular, will gain at least a 40 percent increase in domestic public investment outside the Greater South East by 2030, which will also leverage an increase in private investment.

Other missions include the investment in local public transportation, which it aims to bring closer to London standards, enabling a large majority of the country to gain access to 5G broadband and focusing on education efforts in the most disadvantaged areas of the country.

Each part of England will have the possibility of getting what the government calls a ‘London-style’ devolution deal if they wish to. This will include prioritising safer street initiatives and better quality infrastructure throughout.

Local skills and high street improvements

A Local Skills Improvement Plan is set to be rolled out with funding across England, giving local employers and stakeholders a role in planning skills training in their area, enabling them to meet labour market needs. By 2030, it hopes to increase high-quality skills training in the UK, with an estimated 200,000 more people successfully completing annual training and 80,000 more completing courses in low skill areas.

The White Paper has further announced 68 more local authorities to be supported by the High Streets Task Force, which looks to transform town centres. Part of this initiative follows the government’s move to provide local authorities with the power to require landlords of empty shops to fill them if they have been left vacant for too long.

The government has said it “will do whatever it can to achieve these missions” to help the people and parts of the country most struggling. Missions will be presented with public metrics to track progress and monitor the evolution of spatial disparities.

In a statement, Gove said on the plan: “The UK is an unparalleled success story. We have one of the world’s biggest and most dynamic economies.”

He added: “But not everyone shares equality in the UK’s success. For decades, too many communities have been overlooked and undervalued. As some areas have flourished, others have been left in a cycle of decline. The UK has been like a jet firing on only one engine. Levelling Up and this white paper is about ending this historic injustice and calling time on the postcode lottery.”