On 11th May 2022 the Governments Department for Levelling up, Housing & Communities has released policy paper Levelling Up and Regeneration: further information.
The paper summarises the steps the Government are taking, through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and other legislation and policy, to devolve power and give local leaders and communities the tools they need to make better places. This is a key component of the wider programme to level up the country, as set out in the Levelling Up White Paper published in February 2022. The White Paper unveiled a programme to reduce inequality and close the gap – in productivity, health, incomes, and opportunity – between much of the south east and the rest of the country.
It set out 4 broad objectives for achieving this:
- boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector, especially in those places where they are lagging
- spread opportunities and improve public services, especially in those places where they are weakest
- restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost
- empower local leaders and communities, especially in those places lacking local agency