Mayor's statement on Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill

Following her appearance at the House of Commons Public Bill Committee today to give evidence in response to the Government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire said:

“As Mayor of West Yorkshire, I share the ambition to level up our region and the North but the current proposals in the Government’s Bill show they are not going about it in the right way.

“And I made it clear to the Committee that this Bill must be reshaped, to give us the right tools and opportunities we need, to truly level up West Yorkshire and our communities in the North and to help them flourish.

“Instead of creating competition between regions and the need for ‘beauty contests’ to win one-off funding for projects, we need a single pot of money from central government and the freedom and autonomy to invest it for the long-term, so that it benefits our region in the right way.

“I told the committee that in West Yorkshire and the North we know best how to help us level up our communities. We must end the micromanagement from Whitehall and be given more of the powers that are still controlled from the centre.

“I also made the point that this Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill contains no concrete plans to help our region adequately achieve net-zero emissions. I explained that a proper response to this will not only help us combat the climate emergency but is also a highly effective way of creating more well-paid, high-skills jobs for young people.

“I will continue to make the case for more devolution of powers to West Yorkshire, so we can make our region an even better place to live, work and be in business.”