Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Levelling-up Funding Allocation

Monday 7 March 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Levelling-up funding is distributed using both competitive and formula-based models across the United Kingdom.
  • The methodology, assessment, and decision-making processes for levelling-up funding are published on gov.uk.
  • The Secretary of State disagrees with the view that the Government's approach to levelling-up funding does not respect the devolution settlement.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Joanna Cherry SNP
Economy Parliamentary Procedure Local Government
Context

The question is prompted by concerns about the equitable and transparent distribution of levelling-up funds across different regions in the United Kingdom.

Question

What steps he is taking to ensure that levelling-up funding is allocated equitably and transparently. I seek a commitment on specific measures and timelines for ensuring fair distribution of funds.

Answer from Michael Gove

Levelling-up funding is distributed using both competitive and formula-based models as appropriate across the United Kingdom. The methodology, assessment and decision-making processes involved are published on gov.uk.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures and timelines for equitable distribution were not provided.

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Q2 Joanna Cherry SNP
Scotland
Context

The question follows from concerns raised by the House of Lords Constitution Committee regarding the government's approach to levelling-up funding and its impact on the trust between the UK Government and Scottish devolved authorities.

Question

I have no objection to the Secretary of State redistributing wealth by giving my constituents and other Scottish taxpayers their hard-earned cash back, but the Scotland Act 1998 should be respected. In January, the House of Lords Constitution Committee said that the Government's approach was “unhelpful” and has undermined the trust of the devolved Governments in this Government. Can he tell us when the Government will start to properly respect the devolved settlements?

Answer from Michael Gove

I respectfully disagree with the hon. and learned Lady. Not only are we respecting the devolution settlement; we are enhancing it. Only the other week, I had the chance to speak to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, which, as she will know, is the successor body to the oldest local government organisation in the world. There was a huge welcome from the Scottish National party, Conservative, independent, Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors in Scotland for the approach that we were taking in the UK Government.

Not addressed: The specific commitment on respecting devolved settlements was not addressed.

How: Changing Subject To Local Government Support

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