Tokenism will not ‘level up’ the North; here’s why – The Yorkshire Post says

As chief executive of Sheffield Council from 1997 until 2008, he was acutely aware – even when Labour was in government – at the extent to which London-centric decision-making was compromising the North.

More recently, his stint heading the Civil Service offered even more insight into how Whitehall operates – or does not in this instance.

And when he, and now a cross-party group of MPs, says the Chancellor’s £4bn fund over the duration of the Parliament compares unfavourably with evidence from the UK2070 Commission, that the Government needs to be spending £15bn a year for 20 years tackling regional inequalities, then these interventions should be heeded.

Now the Government will say – in its defence – that the latest policy to regenerate local towns is part of a far greater economic undertaking and should not be viewed in isolation. But, as the ongoing controversy over the management of the previous Towns Fund demonstrates, there’s no guarantee that this new money will reach the most deserving recipients.

And equally significant is the recent endorsement of Lord Kerslake and others of this newspaper’s continuing call for a full-time Cabinet minister to be put in charge of the Northern Powerhouse and Levelling Up agendas.

Not only will this provide more policy continuity and consistency, but it also guarantees the accountability and scrutiny that is missing at present.

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