Academics call for ringfenced ‘social infrastructure’ funds

The government should invest at least a quarter of its proposed ‘levelling up’ funding in pubs, parks and libraries, according to a new report.

The report by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge argues 25% of both the Levelling Up and Towns funds should be ringfenced for ‘social infrastructure’ projects which bring people together.

It says facilities like pubs, parks and libraries are just as vital to local economies and civic pride as headline-grabbing upgrades to rail, road and broadband.

The report adds the government should seek to create a specific fund for social infrastructure as part of the post-Covid recovery agenda, and help incentivise private investment: for example, via levies on housing developers for provision of public parks, as seen in Canada.

‘When the local pub is shuttered, the park is unkempt and the high street has been hollowed out, the pride of a once close-knit community can give way to pessimism and disenchantment,’ said Professor Michael Kenny, report co-author and director of the Bennett Institute at Cambridge.

‘There is an ingrained bias in government towards large-scale infrastructure projects, but interventions that seek to restore dilapidated town centres or support local initiatives may be far more socially and economically beneficial than many policy-makers appreciate.

‘To realise the full potential of new railway stations or bridges, it is vital to attend to the needs of the communities expected to use them,’ Kenny said.

The report, part of the Institute’s Townscapes project, highlights the fact that social infrastructure-related services, from cafes and cinemas to museums and leisure centres, employ around 2.3m people across the UK, and account for almost half the jobs in some so-called ‘left behind’ towns – particularly those on the coast, such as Skegness (46% of total employment) and Llandudno (40%).

While the research team caution that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the problem of ‘levelling up’, the report shows many commonalities across ‘left behind’ areas of the UK.

‘We are seeing the loss of the spaces and facilities, the social plumbing, that is fundamental to making a place desirable to live and work,’ said Professor Kenny. “

‘There are towns where the number of public meeting places has dwindled to precarious levels in recent years.

‘We know that levels of community provision deliver a wide range of economic and social benefits. Investment in social infrastructure should not be seen as a rival to funding large-scale projects in areas like transport, but a vital accompaniment if we really are to level up the UK,’ he added.

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