LOBBYING
IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK, ISTOCK
LEVELLING UP
ROSIE NAGLE CLA PUBLIC AFFAIRS ADVISER rosie.nagle@cla.org.uk 020 7460 7947
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t would appear that we are through the worst of the pandemic. Though there is ongoing firefighting from the government on multiple fronts to avoid a winter of discontent, the success of the vaccine rollout and easing of restrictions has allowed the government to be more proactive and finally develop a concept first mooted in 2019: ‘levelling up’. A lot has been written about the phrase: it is vague, a soundbite that sounds good on paper but doesn’t mean anything in practice and, without any major policy announcements - save for two pots of funding – there was a danger that these claims of style over substance would ring true. However, it appears that the prime minister is seeking to change that with his reshuffle. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government was rebranded as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), with former Environment
Secretary Michael Gove charged Since Gove has been at DLUHC, with steering the ship. he has had to contend with not only This is an interesting move, not levelling up, but also planning. He least because Gove is considered has paused the Planning Bill and is by many in Westminster as one of reviewing its contents, with officials the most radical thinkers of the poised to rewrite significant parts. cabinet, an accolade that explains The CLA criticised the his longevity government’s in government planning white FIND OUT MORE (given his paper, released last betrayal of year, for overlooking Visit cla.org.uk/ Johnson following the potential of the campaigns/ruralBrexit in 2016). countryside by not powerhouse to read the CLA’s Levelling up publication including it in its Even members of the opposition ‘growth’ category rate his ability (the other two to get things done – at a Labour categories being ‘renewal’ [read: party conference fringe event in urban] and ‘protected’ [read: October, Shadow Environment rural]). This would risk leaving Secretary Luke Pollard commended rural areas preserved in aspic and Gove’s tenure at Defra, commenting left behind. We hope that, with this that his vision placed Defra at review, Gove draws on his Defra the heart of government. This is experience and delivers planning praise indeed. Levelling up is also reform that works for rural areas. Johnson’s flagship policy and a In the meantime, Gove’s task is metric by which he may to develop a coherent levelling well be judged at the up agenda with practical next election, so it is policy levers that deliver paramount. prosperity for the whole of the UK, not least rural areas. The CLA has written to Gove and to Levelling Up Minister Neil O’Brien to share with them the CLA’s publication Levelling up: Unleashing the potential of the rural economy, which contains several policy suggestions. Gove’s appointment was not the only change, with the creation of a new ministerial position at Defra for Jo Churchill, who will be leading on science and innovation, including gene editing reform. This expanded brief for the department reflects the growing role that the environment is playing in policymaking, and we welcome it. These changes reflect the new priorities for the government as we reach a new stage in recovery.
Levelling up
A cabinet reshuffle appears to have added momentum to the prime minister’s levelling up agenda, and the CLA has several policy suggestions
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