In June 2021, DWF worked with YouGov to understand the views of residents in the North and the Midlands and published this report 'Will Levelling Up meet voter priorities? ' which identified clear priorities centring on safety and security, job security, and improving local high streets.
This year we re-contacted many of those residents to see how attitudes towards Levelling Up and their local area have changed over the past year.
Take a look at our latest report: Is Levelling Up cutting through?
At the UK's 2019 General Election, the Conservative Party manifesto set out an ambition to help spread economic success and opportunity to those parts of the country that missed out in the past, in particular the North and Midlands. The Government has now made 'Levelling Up' a core agenda item but face the challenge of translating a big picture promise into effective policies.
To achieve this, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed Michael Gove as the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities supported by a team including former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane and Neil O'Brien, who is leading on the Levelling Up White Paper which is expected to be published in October 2021.
What do voters actually think about Levelling Up?
In this report we assess whether the promises around Levelling Up will match what voters in the Midlands and the North actually want. We commissioned YouGov to undertake a unique survey of 1094 adults living in unitary and combined local authorities in the North and Midlands in June 2021.
On 22nd September 2021 we invited a panel of regional and local government stakeholders to discuss the results. Their views are shared in the report.
