What is it that the people of Barnsley want from levelling up? - Suzanne Hall

Just when we thought Levelling up was done, Rishi Sunak brought it back to life. Last week, at PMQs, he gave a “cast iron commitment to levelling up”. And as the MP for a Yorkshire constituency, there is an expectation that he will focus on levelling up the region. But what do people want from levelling up?

The results of the UK in a Changing Europe’s new survey – the largest of its kind looking at attitudes towards regional inequality and politics – lays out the challenge that the government faces. We found that people in Yorkshire are more likely to believe that the Government cares less about them than people in other parts of England.

That’s exactly why Boris Johnson’s commitment to ‘level up’ the country resonated so strongly at the last election and why it may be central to the Conservative’s fortunes going forward.

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And, in contrast to some of the perceived wisdom, we found that most people agree that the Government should employ a redistributive policy to tackle regional inequality.

New PM Rishi Sunak has signalled that levelling up is back on the agenda. PIC: Leon Neal/Getty ImagesNew PM Rishi Sunak has signalled that levelling up is back on the agenda. PIC: Leon Neal/Getty Images
New PM Rishi Sunak has signalled that levelling up is back on the agenda. PIC: Leon Neal/Getty Images

When Boris Johnson brought forward the levelling up agenda, one of the stated aims was to ‘restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost’. But this assumes that people in these areas no longer have pride in their area.

However, when we visited Barnsley to conduct a series of focus groups with local residents, we found that this was not an issue.

The people we spoke to in Barnsley were very proud of their area despite the prevailing Westminster orthodoxy.

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Participants described how the people in their area are unique - friendly and down to earth, and that their home is “not just a place, but a state of mind”. In popular culture, the film Kes is still seen as a symbol of the local character and the essence of the local spirit.

At the same time, the heritage of the area remains central to the identity of the people we spoke with. People immediately discussed the impact of the mining industry in shaping the culture and the ethos of the town.

Barnsley residents spoke with affection about the Elsecar Heritage Centre and how it provided a tangible link with a past they are proud of. Local landmarks are important too: old town halls and stately homes and notable buildings like Cannon Hall Park and Gardens which had been preserved for future generations to enjoy.

There is no doubt that the spectre of deindustrialisation hangs heavy over the town. In Barnsley, the people we spoke with contrasted today’s job market – characterised by low-skilled, low-paid, precarious employment – with the thriving industries of yesteryear.

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And while they recognised the downsides of the heavy industries, and didn’t necessarily want them to return, they did want something to take its place.

The decline of the high street is a symbolic blow. Participants spoke of empty and boarded-up shops that had fallen into disrepair in the past decade and made the town appear uninviting.

The changes in the labour market and the high street emphasised the rise in intergenerational poverty.

On top of this, high house prices and a lack of jobs have created a sense of flux; for one reason or another – whether it be finding an affordable home or a job with prospects – participants in Barnsley stated that people are unable to stay in the area for the long term and, inevitably, it is London and the southeast that benefits.

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The issue here though is that this turnover decreases the number of people who have a sense of a stake in their local community, considered an important factor in understanding local pride.

Barnsley residents were clear on what needs to change. Addressing perceived rising crime rates, improving poor transport links and investing in quality public services were all seen as integral to the revival of the area. What’s more, these were problems that they thought could only be fixed by Westminster. One thing that should worry both Conservatives and Labour however is the lack of trust in political institutions to deliver reform.

What’s more, there were low levels of trust in political leaders – both at a local and national level – that they could identify the problems their area faced and find solutions to fix them.

When the government talks about levelling up areas like Barnsley then, local pride should not be their central focus. Instead, our discussions show that issues of crime, transport and healthcare will determine whether people think their areas have improved. Sunak’s government should home in on the urgent structural problems that so many people are facing. But even if they do this the big question that remains is whether the government is trusted to deliver on their promises after having been thought to have broken so many.

Suzanne Hall director of engagement at The Policy Institute at King’s College London and is co-author of the report Levelling Up: What England Thinks