Levelling-up Missions: East of England

The hon. Member highlighted the importance of consistent and effective levelling-up approaches, noting that while some communities in the east of England have potential, many face challenges such as housing and mental health issues. He emphasised the need for long-term funding moving away from a 'Hunger Games' style approach to ensure sustainable development. Alex Norris also stressed the discrediting of the current levelling-up model due to its failure to address urgent community needs, leading to significant disappointment among residents.

The hon. Member for Cambridge emphasised the importance of rail improvements at Ely and Haughley junctions, restoring four trains per hour to London Stansted, securing East West Rail, and ensuring affordable bus services across the region.

The hon. Member agreed that some coastal regions suffer from unrecognised pockets of deprivation despite wealthy hinterlands. He thanked the Government for £20 million in Clacton town centre renewal but highlighted issues such as poor road conditions and inadequate transport links. He urged investment in local roads, affordable homes, and sustainable jobs to unlock potential in rural areas like Jaywick.

Marking the 70th anniversary of floods in his constituency, James Wild discussed the challenges faced by the East of England region, including skills, connectivity and housing issues. He emphasized the importance of education and highlighted the need for improvements in special educational needs and disabilities provision, as well as the successful bids for infrastructure projects such as South Gate entrance to King's Lynn and St George's Guildhall restoration. He also raised concerns about digital connectivity and called for rail upgrades at Ely junction to boost capacity and support local growth. Additionally, he stressed the importance of addressing health issues in coastal areas like North West Norfolk and advocated for the rebuilding of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by 2030.

Integration in the planning of infrastructure goes beyond just roads and rail; there is the integration of offshore wind into the national transmission network. Only in East Anglia are there radial connections from offshore wind to the national transmission network. The rest of the country benefits from the holistic network design.

The hon. Member for Strangford mentioned the similarity between his constituency and Daniel Zeichner's constituency regarding fishing, referenced the MV Princess Victoria disaster in 1953, and suggested that a scoring matrix could ensure fair distribution of projects across constituencies.

I am concerned about the underfunding of the East of England region, which is near the bottom in terms of funding per head despite being a net contributor to the Exchequer. Bedford Borough Council's bid for levelling-up funding was rejected, leading to disappointment and missed opportunities for regeneration and infrastructure improvements.

Priti Patel highlighted the need for better integration in Whitehall to secure infrastructure investment. She cited examples of successful funding initiatives, such as £600 million for rail improvements, and failures like unsecured funds for Ely junction and Haughley junction. The MP also discussed road upgrades for the A12 and A120, emphasizing the need for transparency from National Highways. Patel further addressed skills, education, health infrastructure inadequacies, planning issues, and the importance of devolution to address these challenges. Asked about skills devolution in Essex, highlighting the need for business involvement to connect with potential labour pools and talent bases.

The MP raised concerns about the criteria used for levelling-up fund bids, suggesting that better feedback from Government is needed. He also pointed out similarities between the East of England and Northern Ireland in their challenges and opportunities.