Committee chair criticises ‘levelling up’ lack of direction

A chair of a leading parliamentary committee has slammed ministers for failing to give any clarity on the government’s flagship ‘levelling up’ agenda.

Speaking yesterday (18 May) after a session involving local government minister Simon Hall and small business minister Paul Scully, the chair of the BEIS select committee, Darren Jones remarked it was ‘probably one of the poorest ministerial sessions’ he has chaired.

The government has been criticised in the past for failing to give much detail on what the ‘levelling up’ agenda means.

Earlier this month, Harborough MP Neil O’Brien was appointed as the prime minister’s adviser on the flagship policy.

Downing Street also revealed at the time that a levelling up white paper will be published later this year.

The white paper – which will be led by the Prime Minister – will focus on challenges including improving living standards, growing the private sector and increasing and spreading opportunity, according to the statement.

‘I’ve kept a little scorecard,’ said Mr Jones.

‘On local industrial strategies and what they’re supposed to do next, we’ve had no answer.

‘On whether we’re going to get a government set of metrics in the levelling, white paper, we’ve had no answer.

‘On the question of governance, we’ve had some answers, but when you were asked about the Levelling Up Task Force which was launched alongside the appointment of Neil O’Brien by Downing Street, none of you seem to know it existed.

‘On financing, we had no clarity and on the question of a critique of previous policy and therefore how things are going to be better in the future through policy change, we had no answer, either.

‘I don’t blame either of you for that, because I just think there’s a complete lack of understanding, policy and direction about what levelling up actually is, and on that basis, we wish Mr O’ Brien all the best for his work in trying to pull this together,’ added Mr Jones.