27 January 2023

Where has the levelling-up fund money been distributed?

As the second tranche of successful bids are announced, we look at where investment has headed so far.

Blackpool is ranked as the most deprived local authority in the UK, but its Levelling Up Fund bids have been unsuccessful. Photo by Getty/Christopher Furlong.

This week the government announced the second tranche of the £4.8bn levelling-up fund to much fanfare, with £2.1bn awarded to more than 100 projects across the UK.

There were concerns about how the funding was distributed – with Yorkshire and the Humber receiving a third less than it did in the first tranche, or London receiving more than double – and analysis of data by the IPPR North think tank from the first tranche of the levelling-up fund published in November by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does little to dispel these concerns.