Levelling Up: East of England

The MP appreciated the debate initiated by the hon. Member for Waveney, highlighting the need to address regional disparities in the east of England. He stressed the importance of understanding how data can be skewed at different levels, ensuring communities are not left behind despite their top-line economic performance. The MP also expressed frustration over bidding rounds that pit communities against each other and do not provide a comprehensive settlement for all stakeholders. He emphasised the need to adopt an 'all-regions' approach rather than framing levelling up as north versus south. Additionally, he pointed out the East of England Local Government Association's concern about 40% less funding being allocated compared to other areas.

The hon. Member is pleased about the £19.9 million for a new community wellbeing centre hub in Houghton Regis but expresses concern over infrastructure development to support the 14,000 homes being built in his area. He highlights that GP capacity per 10,000 registered patients in south Bedfordshire is only 4.5 and direct patient care roles stand at 1.6 FTEs. The hon. Member calls for a solution to ensure general practice capacity matches housing development.

Chris Loder acknowledged the need for investment in Lowestoft's infrastructure, including the Gull Wing bridge and flood defence scheme. He emphasised that while Lowestoft is set to benefit from freeports at Felixstowe and Harwich, there are concerns about overlooking priority areas like Lowestoft which face deep pockets of deprivation.

Acknowledged the hon. Gentleman's contribution and questioned whether a 20th-century model of transport infrastructure is suitable given the climate crisis, suggesting rapid transit systems to move people off roads onto public transportation. Lewis argued for a 21st-century, sustainable economy and criticised the competitive nature of existing devolution deals. He also highlighted the opposition to infrastructure projects like the Wensum link in Norwich. The hon. Member criticised the government's approach to infrastructure development, highlighting a road project that bulldozed through an ecologically sensitive area and rejected less damaging alternatives.

He thanked the hon. Member for Waveney for his thorough introduction and highlighted the work of all-party parliamentary groups in keeping regional issues alive. He noted that despite years of discussion, solutions often fail to materialise, citing a previous three-county system proposal. Zeichner pointed out funding discrepancies once London's impact is excluded, emphasising the need for a detailed understanding of regional challenges. He asked about East West Rail and the Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford arc progress, Ely junction's importance in unlocking freight issues, improvements to the West Anglia main line, and bus service cuts due to impending covid funding expiration.

Mr. Baker highlighted that the 'levelling up' initiative is not just about levelling up the north but also about equality throughout the UK, especially in regions like the east of England which are already economically successful and could benefit from marginal investment. He emphasised the need for more medical, social care workers, mental health practitioners, and green job investments in his constituency of North Norfolk.

Levelling up is about empowering communities to help themselves and includes improving transport, broadband, education, health, and high streets. Mr Mohindra highlighted poor mobile signal and broadband in his affluent village Belsize. He also discussed the importance of community support for local businesses and healthcare provision despite not having an acute hospital locally. He mentioned that around 10,000 people use public transport to work daily, stressing the need for better local transport provision to retain residents within their communities.

Agreed with my hon. Friend's point about transport infrastructure but noted that some leafier suburbs do not benefit from such projects, advocating for measures to ensure economic vitality through better transportation networks. The hon. Member asks about the A12 but no specific information is provided in his brief intervention. The speaker emphasized the need to address deprivation in coastal areas within the East of England, highlighting specific issues such as housing and funding disparities.

He intervened briefly to comment on the popularity of a proposed road improvement in Norfolk. The hon. Member discussed the importance of connectivity for rural areas, focusing on mobile phone coverage and superfast broadband as key elements for economic growth in the east of England.

Congratulated the hon. Gentleman on attendance and mentioned that consideration must be given to levelling up in other parts of the UK, noting disparities such as £38 per head in the north of England compared to less funding for Northern Ireland.

He strongly supported the levelling-up agenda in the east of England, highlighting the need for infrastructure improvements and enterprise support. He also emphasised the importance of devolution to enhance local opportunities. He highlighted the noticeable improvement in digital connectivity across his constituency, noting that almost all areas now have better access. He emphasised the importance of completing this work and mentioned the strong support for a devolution deal to unlock further potential in Suffolk.

The hon. Member expresses disappointment that his constituency did not receive levelling-up funding despite strong economic and social case, while neighbouring areas received £26.7 million. He criticises the Government's levelling-up agenda for being disjointed and lacking strategic purpose, suggesting a need for clear priorities, road map and timeline.

Ms Hopkins criticised the Government's levelling-up strategy as underfunded and not addressing inequalities. She pointed out that the eastern region received the second-lowest per capita spend in the UK, with Luton suffering cuts to local services since 2010. Ms Hopkins also highlighted the need for full redevelopment of Luton's train station to truly regenerate the town. The hon. Member intervenes to point out that under the last 10 years of Government's levelling-up agenda, people have been forced away from towns like Luton due to unaffordable housing.

Expressed concern that the east of England may be seen primarily as an area for house building and raising taxes rather than receiving investment, highlighting parallel aspects of levelling up that affect Bedfordshire.

Acknowledged deprivation in coastal communities but pointed out that new towns also have some of the most deprived wards in the east of England, emphasizing the need for levelling up both opportunity and environments to keep people in their local communities. Highlighted the importance of digital connectivity in South Essex and proposed considering a tram network along the A127, which provides vital routes out of London through busy areas with levelling-up potential.

Mr. Hunt expressed concern about the mix of deprivation and potential in his constituency, advocating for investment in education, crime prevention, and infrastructure. He highlighted the success of Ipswich's £25 million town deal but also pointed out failures such as not securing an institute of technology bid or a pilot status for the local skills improvement plan. He argued that Suffolk receives an unfair funding share compared to other regions when it comes to core public services like education and policing.