Levelling Up: A Path to Addressing Regional Disparities or Merely False Hope?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv7xm35Zip8

By Serena Kelly

In his pledge to address the discrepancy between the North and South of England, Boris Johnson expressed that geography shouldn't dictate one's fate – but it does.

Did you know that individuals living in the North face a ‘20%’ higher risk of premature death than those residing in other Southern areas? Despite its remarkable development, England suffers from considerable regional disparities, which are unparalleled among developed nations. However, political pledges and promises to address this issue, particularly since Boris Johnson's 2019 commitment to "levelling up", seem to lack the necessary urgency, often offering false hope.

Source: Unsplash

 HS2, a railway project proposed in 2009 to bridge the transport gaps between major cities, has yet to be built, causing increasing disillusionment. Recent decisions made by the government, such as the abandonment of the Leeds leg of the rail line in 2021 and the planned cancellation of the northern leg in 2023, reflect a “levelling up” failure. The North suffers; ‘Leeds is the largest city in Western Europe without a mass transit system’. In 2014, the government spent ‘£2,500’ per capita on transport infrastructure in London but only ‘£5’ per capita in Northeast England. We must demand more action to address these inequities and to foster balanced development throughout the country.

The current viability of the HS2 project remains to be determined. Nevertheless, it is crucial to recognise and appreciate the government's substantial efforts to fulfil its commitment to "levelling up" the North. The government allocated ‘£10.6bn’ to local councils in the UK to improve their cities, but no council in the North spent its entire investment in 2022-23, as the government allowed ‘less than two months’ to spend funds. This setback hindered development and, consequently, citizens' living standards; the deputy leader of the Labour Party stated, "The Tories' version of levelling up is a sham and a scam." It is bewildering how such significant disparities exist in a developed country like the UK. The government has repeatedly demonstrated that its urgency to close the gap is not there.

Graph showing poverty rates after housing costs: Trust For London

While the North-South divide is a well-known issue, it's crucial to understand that London, despite its reputation, is not immune to significant inequalities. A recent 2020 report shockingly revealed that 'inequality is far higher within London than any other part of the UK,' with '28% of Londoners living in poverty, compared with 22% across the UK as a whole.' These stark figures show uneven development is a widespread issue nationwide, not just limited to the North. However, the underdevelopment in the North highlights the government's failure to achieve fair and even development.

Despite its reputation for prosperity, the United Kingdom has been grappling with disparities in development that mirror the challenges faced by developed nations in the Global North. The government's failure to fulfil its commitments in the North has raised doubts about its “levelling up” agenda, leaving many disappointed, disillusioned and doubtful.