Michael Gove has defended the allocation of a £2 billion levelling up fund, saying it is “simply untrue” that the cash is mainly being handed to the relatively affluent South East. The Levelling Up Secretary insisted the latest round of investment is “specifically tilted towards the North, the Midlands, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland”. “There are areas of deprivation in London and in the South East, particularly along the Kent coast, that we do need to invest in,” the Levelling Up Secretary said. By investing in local areas, we can grow our economy and build pride in the places we call home. Here is a regional breakdown of the levelling up funding:– Yorkshire and the Humber: £120,619,162– West Midlands: £155,579,834– Wales: £208,175,566– South West: £186,663,673– South East: £210,467,526– Scotland: £177,206,114– Northern Ireland: £71,072,373– North West: £354,027,146– North East: £108,548,482– London: £151,266,674– East Midlands: £176,870,348– East: £165,903,400The £2.1 billion allocated to projects comes from the overall £4.8 billion levelling up fund announced in 2020.

Source: The Herald January 19, 2023 22:41 UTC