Levelling up has been the core focus of the Conservative Party since the 2019 General Election where they promised to regenerate regions like ours and improve the regional disparities in the UK. However, in 2022, it is evident that the promise of Levelling up was wishful thinking and there has been a lack of commitment to their promise.
To hold the Government to account, I have been working tirelessly to scrutinise and improve the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that is currently going through Parliament. Last week, I presented two more amendments to the Bill during the second day of its report stage.
The focus of my first amendment was on planning. I spoke of the failure of numerous developers to develop sites in a timely and reliable manner, it has become all too common to see derelict or half completed construction sites in our communities. I’m sure many of you have seen the derelict building on the corner of Lawe Road and Ocean Road that is being held up by unsightly scaffolding and tarnishing our beautiful coastline.
I believe the current provisions in the Levelling Up Bill heavily favour the developers and would neglect our local communities. My amendment would shift power in favour of local communities by allowing competition notices to be served and sites to be restored to its previous condition in a timely manner.
My second point focussed on a new clause to revive manufacturing in areas with high levels of poverty and unemployment. The Government has long struggled to define Levelling Up and how its success can be measured; their own White Paper states ‘further work needs to be undertaken to refine this metric’ to measure its success.
My new clause would legislate for a reporting mechanism that is linked to a revival in manufacturing. I believe through this, we can incite job and skills creation for the current and future governments. The UK economy has become far too reliant on the low paid service sector, which has led to us losing our once manufacturing powerhouse status. The North-East alone has seen decreased manufacturing outputs and a decrease in apprenticeships by more than 50%. It is time for the Government to take Levelling up seriously, commit to their promises and for these regional disparities to be solved.
The link to my full speech can be found here and the transcript can be found here and here.