Northern Mayors to meet Michael Gove to discuss Levelling Up plans
The conference will be held at The Spine in Liverpool and will be livestreamed online for the general public
Last updated 8th Feb 2022
Leaders from across the North are heading to Liverpool as they look at ways the Government can close the gap in the North South divide.
Today, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove will join Council leaders and Metro Mayors to discuss exactly what 'Levelling Up' really is and work out an action plan to help make it a reality.
The leaders will be discussing the long awaited Levelling Up White Paper, which was published last week, and what the Government's "12 missions" mean for the North.
The paper details what the Government wants to achieve by 2030 in order to improve the lives of those outside London and the South East, after a decade of austerity and rampant inequality.
The Northern leaders will use the opportunity to tell Secretary of State for communities, Michael Gove, more needs to be done to improve life expectancy, education and transport links across the North of England.
Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotherham, has called for the Government to be more ambitious with their Levelling Up plans if they want to make a real change in the North.
"The Government need to be a more ambitious about levelling up, and if they are genuine about trying to achieve it they can't do it alone and they need our help", said Mr Rotherham.
"I don't think anyone knows what 'Levelling Up' actually is, but he (Michael Gove) is coming to Liverpool today to address with a give a key note and speech to an assembled audience. Hopefully he will give a bit more flesh on the bones of the White Paper that was released last week."
What will be discussed at today's conference?
The Northern leaders, who are representing 16 million people, will be speaking to Mr Gove about the Levelling Up White Paper.
The main talks points from today's conference will be:
- How the North will be "leading the Green Industrial Revolution".
- Ways in which the healthy life expectancy gap between the North and South will be closed.
- Plans to close the education and skills gap.
- How connectivity in towns and cities in the North will be improved.
- Increasing private and public investment in research and development spending in the North.
Mayors urge for a reassessing of rail plans
Discussion surrounding the downgrading of rail plans connecting Manchester and Leeds will be at the centre of debate at todays conference.
The Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), published in November 2021, saw the plans for a new railway across the North, Northern Powerhouse Rail, downgraded and the eastern leg of HS2 up to Yorkshire, scrapped.
In response, the Mayors have written to the Prime Minister, Chancellor, Levelling Up Secretary and Transport Secretary challenging the Government to open a new assessment process with Transport for the North.
In the letter, the Mayors said: “The magnitude of the decision on rail investment in the North of England cannot be overstated. It will have a determinative impact on our economy and society for more than 100 years. If we didn’t press for the best possible solution, we would be letting down future generations of Northerners. We cannot but conclude the current plan puts unacceptable limits on our ambition for this wonderful part of the world.
“We know that Crossrail will soon open in London. We do not for one moment begrudge our Capital city this new east-west line and the huge economic benefits it will bring. We simply ask for the same for the North of England.”
Todays conference will be held at The Spine in Liverpool and is being livestreamed online for those of general public who registered for tickets.