One of Prime Minster Rishi Sunak’s first pledges as he entered 10 Downing Street was to restate the Government’s commitment to levelling up. It’s a policy statement that has been bandied about so much over the past few years but, in truth, we’re still unsure quite what it means and how it will be achieved.
Many see it as being about investment in transport infrastructure – projects like HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail that address the outdated and inadequate rail network that leaves Yorkshire and the North disadvantaged and disconnected.
But levelling up isn’t just about closing the gulf between the South and North. It’s also about addressing disparities between urban and rural areas.
We know how vital this is to residents and businesses in rural areas like the Prime Minister’s own constituency of Richmond.
