MP says levelling up 'not working' for West Midlands as data shows region falling further behind
Just five per cent of constituencies in the West Midlands are levelling up – with most falling further behind London over the past year.
New analysis shows the Conservatives flagship policy from the 2019 general election has so far failed to make a dent in regional inequalities between the West Midlands and the South East.
It comes after the region's local authorities saw just three bids out of 18 succeed in the latest round of the Government's levelling up fund.
The analysis, compiled by Bloomberg UK, tracks the progress of constituencies outside the nation's capital based on the Government’s own set of socioeconomic metrics for levelling up, including transport funding, productivity, home affordability, wages and crime.
It shows that 97 per cent of so-called 'Red Wall' seats – former industrial heartlands that swung from Labour to Conservative in 2019, including several in the West Midlands – are classified as falling behind.
All three Wolverhampton seats were said to be behind in 2019 and falling further. It was the same for the two West Bromwich seats, Dudley North and Dudley South, Stourbridge, Warley, Walsall North and Halesowen and Rowley Regis.
Aldridge-Brownhills and most of Staffordshire were in the same boat, according to the analysis, including Stafford, Stone and South Staffordshire.
Walsall South, the seat of Labour MP Valerie Vaz, was a rare bright spot for the region. It was said to be behind in 2019 but now levelling up, with improvements in foreign investment, civil service employment, universal credit, broadband coverage, transport expenditure and life expectancy.
Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden, Labour's Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: "This survey shows the gap between the reality of what is happening when it comes to levelling up and the Government’s rhetoric.
"Wolverhampton didn’t get a single penny out of last week’s announcement on levelling up grants, despite submitting two bids.
"And overall, the city has fallen further behind wealthier areas over recent years. Levelling up is a good aim but current policy towards it is not working for our area.
"We are going to need something different, that invests in people as well as buildings and doesn’t rely on the current begging bowl approach."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has attempted to defend the levelling up fund, which saw his own constituency of Richmond get £19m.
At an event on Friday he said: "We are completely committed to levelling up across the United Kingdom.
"If you look at how we are spending this money it is disproportionately benefitting people in the North East, the North West, and that's great."
