New research finds that 鈥楲evelling Up鈥� left many southern areas behind
Communities in the South of England were systematically underfunded in the government鈥檚 flagship 鈥楲evelling Up鈥� programme, according to new research using a Community Resilience Index (CRI) developed at The University of Manchester.
The study, published in , analysed how 拢8.64 billion of Levelling Up funding was distributed across 307 local authority districts in England. Using a new Community Resilience Index (CRI) to measure need, researchers discovered that while many northern and coastal areas received more than their 鈥渇air share鈥� of investment, the South of England was consistently underfunded.
The findings challenge the dominant narrative of a simple 鈥渘orth-south divide鈥� and reveal that southern communities - particularly in inland areas - were frequently left behind in funding allocations.
Only 36.2% of local authorities received support proportionate to their need - the research shows that 30% of Levelling Up funding would have needed to be reallocated to ensure an equitable distribution across the country
鈥淟evelling Up was designed to help all places build on their strengths and reach their potential - yet our resilience-based analysis shows that many southern communities were overlooked in funding allocations,鈥� said Dr Christine Camacho, lead author of the study. 鈥淭hese areas face significant challenges but did not receive the support needed to strengthen their resilience.鈥�
Among the starkest cases was Havant, in the South East, which received just 拢12.45 per person in Levelling Up support - 94% less than the 拢200 per person it would have received under a fair allocation model.
By contrast, several northern districts received far more than their modelled 鈥渇air share鈥�. Redcar and Cleveland, for example, secured 拢469.70 per person - more than double its needs-based allocation. The researchers argue that this unevenness highlights deep flaws in the competitive, ministerial-driven allocation process.
The study emphasises that competitive bidding and ministerial discretion meant funding often flowed to areas with stronger institutional capacity, rather than those with the greatest social and economic need.
The researchers argue that without systematic, needs-driven allocation of investment, future regional policies risk repeating the mistakes of Levelling Up - leaving vulnerable communities in both the North and the South behind.
The authors stress that as the new Labour government moves beyond the Levelling Up brand, future place-based policies must adopt transparent, needs-based criteria. The Community Resilience Index, they argue, offers a robust tool for ensuring resources go where they are most needed.
Spatial inequalities in England are complex and cannot be reduced to a simple north-south divide. If future growth strategies are to succeed, they must recognise and invest in communities with lower resilience across all parts of the country - whether in Blackpool or in parts of coastal Hampshire.