Levelling up was the flagship policy of the 2019 Conservative manifesto, but three years later its clear it was an empty political slogan rather than a serious commitment to improve regions like ours. It’s simply shocking that last year the South-East of England received almost twice as much money as the North-East from the levelling up fund.
To hold the Government accountable, I have been heavily involved in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that is currently going through Parliament. Last week, I presented important amendments and a new clause to the Bill during its report stage.
My first point was in support of new clause seeking to reinstate the Standards Board for Councils. This board was responsible for promoting high ethical standards in local democracy before being abolished by the coalition government in 2011. I highlighted serious breaches of conduct and crimes committed by various councillors from across the country, alongside pointing out the misconduct that has occurred in our own Local Authority.
Such cases are of course the minority and that the vast number of councillors work hard for their community. However, those who behave inappropriately are currently given a free ride, as the framework around complaints is largely kept in-house. My new clause would change that.
I further presented amendments asking the Government to align the levelling-up missions with the United Nations sustainable development goal to end hunger and ensure all people have access to ‘safe, nutritious and sufficient’ food all year round.
It is astonishing that a Bill attempting to level up our country does not mention hunger or food insecurity once, despite the Government acknowledging that it is not possible to level up the country without reducing the number of children going hungry and living in poverty.
I raised the stark regional disparities in healthy life expectancy alongside the exposure of the health inequalities by the pandemic. With 14.5 million people living in poverty across our country, the Government are wrong to think their own missions can succeed without reducing food poverty.
The government have delayed day 2 of the Bill’s report stage, but when it returns I have more amendments in place to hold the Government to account.
The full text of my speech can be found here and a video of my speech can be found here and here.