That there are areas of the country suffering deprivation is beyond doubt. That some are in Essex and Kent is also well documented. But for 2 rich counties one has to wonder why there was not more self-help?
However the piecemeal approach of governments over time has shown that this is not efficient. Cornwall received £millions from the EU but many of the small dispersed projects failed. Successes are the new road link and the expansion of Universities into the county. Studies have also shown that some deserving councils are too cash strapped to provide staff to create the grant application and staff its implementation. Of 151 local authorities only 8 have not had real term cuts even with the extra funds announced. Levelling up is a nonsense statement. Does the Education Minister talk about levelling up? The first objective should be to provide a minimum level of public services like community centres, swimming pools and libraries. Investment in education in poorer areas would yield dividends for years to come. So an AI centre in Blackpool is welcomed. Whether National Heritage sites should be receiving these funds (rather than from elsewhere) is debatable.
The north appears to be in desperate need of a functional public transport system. The devastation of Thatcherism will not be met by call centres and Amazon warehouses. Decentralisation of government and business away from London will do wonders for the North and Midlands – start with Parliament. Media City in Manchester appears to be a success. I am not sure what went wring with the mega-factory for batteries that has gone bust recently but am informed that the location is ideal, but management were not. London house prices are over inflated so decentralisation makes sense. Instead of Sleaze-Dogg moaning about working from home we should encourage it. Re-nationalise the railways and offer cheap one day a week season tickets for those who need to visit offices occasionally. This will probably hit High Streets and hospitality centres in cities, but so be it. Business rates need to be abolished and replaced by VAT or a separate sales tax so that shops and on-line pay the same costs.