Northern cities share £200m of fresh levelling up cash
Secretary of state Michael Gove has unveiled £208m of fresh funding for northern cities.
Alongside the funding, Gove announced that Northern leaders would receive new powers to “further unlock the potential of the area” and deliver the promise in the levelling up white paper to “level the playing field by spreading opportunities”.
In Blackpool, £90m will be used to build new homes and renovate low-quality properties not currently fit for people to live in as part of a major regeneration scheme led by Homes England and Blackpool Town Council. It will see hundreds of homes made available overall and disused brownfield land brought back into life.
Secretary of state Michael Gove has unveiled £208m of fresh funding for northern cities.
Alongside the funding, Gove announced that Northern leaders would receive new powers to “further unlock the potential of the area” and deliver the promise in the levelling up white paper to “level the playing field by spreading opportunities”.
In Blackpool, £90m will be used to build new homes and renovate low-quality properties not currently fit for people to live in as part of a major regeneration scheme led by Homes England and Blackpool Town Council. It will see hundreds of homes made available overall and disused brownfield land brought back into life.
The town has received more than £100m of levelling up funding since 2019 and investment to unlock the £300m Blackpool Central development scheme.
The town is further benefitting from a devolution deal for Lancashire, which was announced in the Autumn Statement last year.
In Sheffield, some £67m of funding was unlocked to secure brownfield land on two city centre sites capable of delivering more than 1,300 new homes and around 40,000 sq ft of commercial space.
Liverpool will receive £31m to support a range of regeneration projects, including significant investment to develop grade-A office space and new laboratory facilities at Paddington Village in the Knowledge Quarter, while Blackburn with Darwen will see a cash injection of £20m through a Levelling Up Partnership. The partnership is a tailored plan that sees the government work with local leaders and businesses to target investment and address the unique challenges and opportunities in each place.
The investment will be used to transform heritage buildings into modern, cultural venues and creative spaces including King George’s Hall, Imperial Mill and the Cotton Exchange.
Alongside the funding, deeper “Level 4” devolution agreements have been agreed with West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the Liverpool city region.
These “deeper” agreements will hand leaders control over adult skills provision, local transport funding, the potential for delivery of net zero funding and control over the Affordable Homes Programme from 2026 in their areas in partnership with Homes England.
The areas will also be handed a consolidated single pot for local growth, housing and regeneration funding at the next multi-year spending review.
Tracy Brabin, mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “This new deal is our next step toward deeper devolution and a single cash settlement from the Treasury, so that the people of West Yorkshire can have the first and final say over how their funding is spent.
“Gone are the days of cap-in-hand or pork-barrel politics – devolution is the green shoot of hope for our communities, helping us build a brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.”
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool city region, added: “While we are willing to take whatever new powers and funding become available, we believe that those new powers we have secured still only scratch the surface of what areas like ours could achieve with true devolution.
“As soon as possible, we deserve at least the same powers and single funding settlements as trailblazer areas.”
Photo © Liverpool City Council
