Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies is calling on the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government and local authorities to ensure that the 12 central missions laid out in the UK Government’s landmark Levelling-up White Paper, published yesterday, are realised.
The UK Government is leading on delivering policies to level up all parts of the country.
The White Paper sets out 12 missions, which Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, said “will only succeed if all layers of government – UK, devolved and local – work together.”
James is therefore calling on Minsters in Cardiff Bay and local authorities to heed his calls:
He said:
“Levelling up is at the heart of the Government’s agenda to build back better after the pandemic and to deliver for citizens in every part of the United Kingdom.
“Already HM Government have provided support to North Wales through the Levelling Up Fund, Community Renewal Fund and Community Ownership Fund last year. More than 175 projects right across Wales have received more than £165million in direct funding for schemes, ranging from improvements to road infrastructure to job creation, to regenerating community resources.
“Here in Denbighshire £150K was allocated to the county by the Chancellor last year to work up projects for the Levelling Up fund, whilst £2.9m was awarded to 14 Denbighshire projects which applied for Community Renewal Fund grants, to support people and communities most in need.
“North Wales has also received an 8.4% increase in its funding for 2022/23 to drive down crime and deliver safer streets for all, as part of the Levelling Up mission that by 2030, homicide, serious violence, and neighbourhood crime will have fallen, focused on the worst-affected areas.”
James has long been calling for improved transport services in North Wales and is Chair of the Mersey Dee North Wales All-Party Parliamentary Group, which has actively pushed for infrastructure upgrades locally. He particularly welcomed the mission within the White Paper that “By 2030, local public transport connectivity across the country will be significantly closer to the standards of London, with improved services, simpler fares and integrated ticketing.”
He said:
“For far too long the people of North Wales have had to deal with transport services which are below par. For the region to truly get back on its feet and prosper, faster and improved transport links are essential.”
The Pre-Launch Guidance for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund was published alongside the Levelling Up White Paper.
James said:
“The Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK Government’s ambitious levelling up agenda and a significant component of its support for places across the UK. It provides £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation from the Fund via a funding formula rather than a competition.”
He added:
“Progress is being made, but there is more work to be done, which is why the UK Government has written to local leaders and the Welsh Government to ask them to work in synergy to ensure every corner of the UK is firing on all cylinders.
“Whatever political differences or disagreements we may have, we are united in the common aim that we must deliver for the people of North Wales."
