Councils call for independent review of arbitrary’ levelling-up funding policy

Councils have called for an independent review of Boris Johnson's levelling up policy, as local authorities count the cost of years of hype, disappointment, bureaucratic delay and "begging bowl" culture.

- Patrick Butler, Josh Halliday

Levelling up was launched by Johnson after the Tories won the 2019 general election, as he promised to boost left-behind parts of the UK by committing billions to regenerating town centres, upgrading local transport and investing in cultural assets.

Four years and several funding rounds later, many local politicians are angry and frustrated over their experiences with a complex, demanding, and seemingly random bidding system for numerous pots of levelling up funds that have ultimately so far led to little change.

Even more baffling to many is the evolution of a policy that seemingly sought initially to prioritise deprived post-industrial cities of the north and Midlands but now embraces such relatively affluent places as Cambridge, Buckinghamshire and Canary Wharf in London's Docklands.