Research has long shown that globally, left-behind communities are less likely to vote in either local or general elections, largely because they feel neglected by the political process.
Birmingham’s Curzon Street station under construction: the demise of the HS2 project shows how levelling up has floundered.
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Despite a decade of Northern Powerhouse and levelling up, England remains thoroughly divided.
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove addresses the Convention of the North in Leeds in March 2024.
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English councils have neither the ongoing funding or the staffing needed to effectively deliver on the government’s economic development promises.
Since May 2024, an elected mayor of the north-east has been leading a new authority spanning Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham.
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Years of political turbulence, economic shocks and the failure to ‘level up’ as pledged have turned English devolution into a key political and constitutional issue
Big Local projects are about getting involved.
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Angela Rayner’s expansive policy brief faces the threat of ‘short-termism’ perhaps more than any other. If Labour win power, will Rayner be able to fight against these short-term political incentives?
With all delays on this train line over the last decade, it may have been a costly distraction from other projects that could have contributed to levelling up in the meantime.
Economists do not have the analytical tools to properly measure the full value of a megaproject. Deciding on whether to pull the plug or not is always a political matter.
Whether moving away is a good idea depends as much on a young person’s aspirations as it does on their resources. Staying put – or moving back – does not necessarily mean personal failure.
Thousands of dead and dying crustaceans were found along Teesside’s coastlines last year.
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