• Suella has welcomed the Conservative Government’s Levelling Up White Paper and the boost it will bring to Fareham by increasing wages, improving living standards, and regenerating local communities across the country.
• This is the next step on the Conservative Government’s mission to unite and level up Britain, with radical new policies announced across the board – including a devolution revolution, London-style transport systems and 5G across the country, as well as elimination of innumeracy and illiteracy.
• The Conservative Government is creating a better quality of life for people in every part of the UK – so everyone can access the opportunities they need to succeed.
Suella has welcomed the Levelling Up White Paper unveiled by the Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove, on 2 February 2022, and the benefits it will bring to Fareham. The document sets out the Government’s plan to transform the UK by spreading opportunity and prosperity to every community in every region of the country.
The Solent cluster features as a key focal point for the levelling up agenda. This will be supported with R&D capabilities from the newly inaugurated Institute of Technology, which is in development alongside Solent University. The region will draw on the area’s maritime strengths and expertise to encourage trade and investment, beginning with the introduction of the Freeport.
The levelling up agenda will also seek to boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards. This is already underway with enhanced connectivity as a result of over £62 million of investment for Southampton and £59 million for Portsmouth, as part of the transforming cities fund.
At the heart of this new way of making and implementing policy will be 12 bold national missions – all quantifiable and to be achieved by 2030. These missions will be crossgovernment, cross-society efforts.
By 2030, the missions set out by the Conservative Government will see:
• The rest of the country’s local public transport systems becoming much closer to London standards,
• The large majority of the country gain access to 5G broadband,
• 90 per cent of primary children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths – with the government’s education efforts focussed on the most disadvantaged parts of the country,
• 55 Education Investment Areas established in parts of the country with weakest school outcomes,
• The mobilisation of £16 billion of local government pension schemes to turbocharge local investment,
• Hundreds of thousands more people completing high quality skills training every year,
• Disparities in healthy life expectancy narrowed,
• The number of poor-quality rented homes halved,
• Kings Cross style regeneration deals across 20 places in England,
• The most rundown town centres and communities across the country rejuvenated,
• £39 million to widen access to parks – particularly in areas with the lowest access to green space,
• A significant decrease in serious crime in the most blighted areas,
• Every part of England getting a devolution deal if they wish to.
Commenting, Suella said:
“This Conservative Government is committed to levelling up the whole of the UK – which means increasing wages, living standards, and quality of life for people in Fareham too. That is why I am delighted to welcome the Levelling Up White Paper, which lays out the Government’s plan to create jobs, spread opportunity and empower communities across the UK, including in Fareham. Through this plan, which builds on work over the last two years, this Conservative Government is delivering on its commitments to the British people by levelling up across the whole of the country.”
Commenting, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“From day one, the defining mission of this government has been to level up this country, to break the link between geography and destiny so that no matter where you live you have access to the same opportunities. “The challenges we face have been embedded over generations and cannot be dug out overnight, but this White Paper is the next crucial step. “It is a vision for the future that will see public spending on R&D increased in every part of the country; transport connectivity improving; faster broadband in every community; life expectancies rising; violent crime falling; schools improving; and private sector investment being unleashed. “It is the most comprehensive, ambitious plan of its kind that this country has ever seen and it will ensure that the government continues to rise to the challenge and deliver for the people of the UK.”
Commenting, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:
“The United Kingdom is an unparalleled success story. We have one of the world’s biggest and most dynamic economies. Ours is the world’s most spoken language. We have produced more Nobel Prize winners than any country other than America. “But not everyone shares equally in the UK’s success. For decades, too many communities have been overlooked and undervalued. As some areas have flourished, others have been left in a cycle of decline. The UK has been like a jet firing on only one engine. “Levelling Up and this White Paper is about ending this historic injustice and calling time on the postcode lottery. “This will not be an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but our 12 new national levelling up missions will drive real change in towns and cities across the UK, so that where you live will no longer determine how far you can go.”
