A Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will attempt to finally put flesh on Boris Johnson’s troubled promise to revive struggling areas, widely criticised as vacuous.
The wide-ranging legislation will do everything from extending devolution deals to granting new powers to bring empty premises back into use and allowing more al fresco dining.
But at its heart will be a legal duty on the government to produce an annual progress report on the 12 “levelling up missions”, set out in Michael Gove’s plans earlier this year.
These dozen aims range from boosting pay, jobs, transport connectivity and research and development spending in less-prosperous areas to “restoring local pride” in those communities.
They have already been criticised for largely being vague, unambitious, or impossible to measure – and the target for delivering improvements is a distant 2030.
The flagship policy has also been undermined by Rishi Sunak’s refusal to commit to any extra spending, despite the many ‘Red Wall’ Tories in vulnerable marginal seats in the North and Midlands.
The Queen’s Speech says the Levelling Up Bill will:
* Give all of England the “opportunity to benefit from a devolution deal by 2030 – giving local leaders the powers they need to drive real improvement in their communities”.
* Create a local “non-negotiable levy to deliver the infrastructure that communities need, such as housing, schools, GPs and new roads” – replacing Section 106 agreements.
* Give town halls “new powers to bring empty premises back into use and instigate rental auctions of vacant commercial properties in town centres and on high streets”
* Give residents “more of a say over changing street names and ensuring everyone can continue to benefit from al fresco dining”.
The description of the Bill is unlikely to kill criticism of vacuity, pledging to boost “economic dynamism and innovation to drive growth across the whole country, unleashing the power of the private sector to unlock jobs and opportunity for all”.
And it betrays the concerns of Southern Tories, who fear their voters are turning away from the party over the perception that the “Red Wall’ is Mr Johnson’s priority.
It states: “Levelling up is not about pulling down more prosperous areas, any particular points of the compass or preferment for any one part of the country at the expense of any other, but rather extending opportunity across the UK.”
