A recent study has uncovered that communities in the South of England were significantly underfunded in the UK government’s flagship ‘Levelling Up’ programme. Conducted by researchers at The University of Manchester, the study analyzed the distribution of £8.64 billion allocated to the initiative across 307 local authority districts in England.
Employing a new tool known as the Community Resilience Index (CRI), the researchers assessed the funding needs of various regions. The findings indicate that while several northern and coastal areas received more than their fair share of investment, many southern regions were frequently overlooked. This research challenges the prevailing narrative surrounding a simple north-south divide, revealing that inland southern communities often did not receive the support they required.
Only 36.2% of local authorities received funding that was proportionate to their needs. The analysis suggests that around 30% of the funds would have needed to be redistributed to achieve a fairer allocation across the country.
Dr. Christine Camacho, the lead author of the study, emphasized the shortcomings of the programme, stating, “Levelling Up was designed to help all places build on their strengths and reach their potential – yet our resilience-based analysis shows that many southern communities were overlooked in funding allocations.” She noted that these areas face significant challenges but did not receive adequate support to enhance their resilience.
Among the most notable examples is Havant in the South East, which received merely £12.45 per person in Levelling Up support. This amount is 94% less than the £200 per person it would have received under a fair allocation model. In stark contrast, districts in the North, such as Redcar and Cleveland, received much more than their calculated fair share, with the latter securing £469.70 per person—over double its needs-based allocation.
The researchers argue that these disparities highlight significant flaws in the competitive, ministerial-driven allocation process. Funding often favored areas with stronger institutional capacity rather than those facing greater social and economic challenges.
As the new Labour government moves forward, the authors stress the importance of adopting transparent, needs-based criteria for future place-based policies. They caution that without a systematic, needs-driven allocation of investment, future regional policies risk replicating the pitfalls of the Levelling Up programme, potentially leaving vulnerable communities in both the North and South behind.
The Community Resilience Index offers a valuable framework for ensuring that resources are directed to areas that require them most. The researchers advocate for its adoption in future funding decisions to promote equitable support across all regions.
