Looking ahead to the Levelling up White Paper

Last Thursday the Prime Minister set out his vision on how the government would deliver on its election manifesto pledge – to level up and unite the whole of the United Kingdom.

Speaking at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) in Coventry, the Prime Minister set out the role for government and in particular the need to:

• Empower strong local leaders by taking a more flexible approach to devolution, with new ‘County Deals’
• Focus on growing the private sector by creating the conditions for long-term growth and productivity;
• Invest in infrastructure and connectivity;
• Ensure that people have access to good public services, and the skills and training needed to access higher paid jobs; and
• Improve the quality of life in communities through crime prevention and town and high street regeneration

But what is levelling up?

Levelling up first emerged in the 2019 Conservative election manifesto, in which it stated that the Conservative party, if elected, would be, “levelling up every part of the UK”. It (the government) would achieve this through investment into towns, cities, rural and coastal areas, providing areas with greater devolution on investment decisions, levelling up the skills system, supporting agriculture and fisheries and the development of 10 new freeports.

In reality, levelling up is the latest iteration of the regional growth agenda. An agenda that has seen several government policies and interventions over the last century to address the longstanding inequalities across the country. Policies over the last two decades include the creation of Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), local industrial strategies, the relocation of government departments out of London, and a raft of new government funds such as the Levelling Up, Strength in Places, Stronger Towns and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Why we must seize the moment

In the wake of COVID-19, the new UK-EU relationship, rapid technological advancement and the climate challenge, there is now a defining opportunity to reset the UK economy. That is why the CBI launched its long term economic strategy, setting out how to seize the moment and to drive meaningful economic growth and prosperity.

The productivity and income disparities across the UK’s regions and nations – disparities that cause real challenges for living standards – must be addressed now. COVID-19’s impact has not been felt equally across the country and is exacerbating divides. Levelling up our regions and nations can kickstart the recovery, close productivity gaps and boost living standards.

In the autumn, the Government intends to publish its Levelling Up White Paper which will include more details on the government’s approach to level up those regions that lag behind. Ahead of its publication the CBI will be consulting with members and providing opportunities to engage to shape our submission.

What does levelling up mean to your business?

Over the coming month, the CBI will be engaging with business to formulate its submission to the government’s white paper. You can help shape this submission by responding to the questions below:

1. Thinking about your engagement with local leaders, who is best positioned to support and deliver the levelling up agenda in your area and why? (Business organisations, Local Enterprise Partnerships, Local Authorities, central government or devolved administrations, other)
2. What is the role business-led clusters can play in supporting the levelling up agenda?
3. What support do you need locally to better articulate and deliver the skills needed for your workforce?
4. What could government do to instil a greater sense of pride in your local area/town/city region?
5. Thinking about infrastructure – what should the government prioritise? Transport, digital, energy (including electric vehicle charging infrastructure), utilities or others?

Please submit your responses to the above questions and any other views on levelling up to CBI Policy Adviser Matthew Lowe by 31 July.

The results will be used to shape the CBI’s recommendations to government on the levelling up agenda and wider CBI regional growth work.

You can also catch up on CBI@10 webinar on levelling up here, recorded 21 June, in which we discussed the role that levelling up plays in the CBI's Seize the Moment campaign, and the different levers government and business can pull to ensure every part of the UK reaches its potential.