Levelling Up White Paper sets out ‘largest devolution of power from Whitehall’

County deals and regional mayors could be introduced to the Midlands after the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove unveiled the government’s Levelling Up White Paper.

Gove had set out a complete “system change” in order to “level up the UK” through twelve national missions which the government says it wants to achieve by 2030.

The government says this is the first time economic disparities have been at the heart of any government’s agenda.

The White Paper sets out a devolution of power from Whitehall to local leaders across England after being inspired by mayors such as Andy Street in the West Midlands, Ben Houchen in Tees Valley and Andy Burnham in Manchester.

Nine areas will be invited to agree to new county deals to extend devolution and become Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCA). Those areas are; Cornwall, Derbyshire & Derby, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, Durham, Hull & East Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire & Nottingham, and Suffolk.

There will also be negotiations for “trailblazer” devolution deals with the West Midlands and Greater Manchester, acting as blueprints for other MCAs. This means each region will have a London-style devolution deal if it wants one by 2030.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “The United Kingdom is an unparalleled success story. We have one of the world’s biggest and most dynamic economies. Ours is the world’s most spoken language. We have produced more Nobel Prize winners than any country other than America.

“But not everyone shares equally 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.”

Also detailed are three new “Innovation Accelerators” in the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Glasgow. Local businesses and researchers in those areas will be backed by £100m of funding to drive growth and take inspiration from MIT in Boston and Stanford-Silicon Valley models.

Bus improvements are also on the agenda for the Midlands particularly Stoke-on-Trent and Derbyshire, whilst Wolverhampton will undergo a King’s Cross-style regeneration project where derelict sites will be developed into communities by Homes England.

The ‘80/20’ rule has been scrapped meaning 80% of the funding that was directed towards maximum affordability housing areas in London and the South East, will now be directed towards brownfield site regenerations in the Midlands and the North. The Metropolitan Mayors will be allocated £120m of this funding.

Responding, Matthew Fell, CBI chief policy director, said: “The Levelling Up White Paper is a serious assessment of the regional inequalities which have hamstrung the UK’s economic potential for generations. It offers a blueprint for how government can be rewired and an encouraging basis for how the private sector can bring the investment and innovation to start overcoming those deep-rooted challenges, and power long term prosperity for every community, wherever they live.

“The picture it paints of a reinvigorated 2030 UK can inspire public and private sector partners to unite on shared missions for improving health, wealth, growth and opportunity across the country.

“Crucially, it accepts the CBI view that business-driven economic clusters – enabling every region and nation to build its own unique competitiveness proposition – can be a catalyst which brings levelling up ambitions to life.”

Country-wide, the Levelling Up White Paper has outlined its 12 missions to level up the country by 2030.