VIEW POINT
Annie Dell presents a Salvation Army perspective on the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda S part of my role I speak to a lot of people who feel left behind. They feel that way because of a la ack of after-school activities,, men e ta t l heal he alth al th acc cces esss, s job bs th hat exc xcititite e th them em,, em accessible buses during the morning rush, local affordable nurseries or accessible training. As part of its response to Covid-19, the th e go gove ve ernme rn nme ment n has ann n ounced a new fu und n in ing pl pled ed dge for ‘le leve v llllin ve ing in g up up’’ th the e UK U . The exact definition and scope of th this is policy is still being decided, but the general aim is to dramatically increase investment in areas outside London that have been neglected. For The Salvation Army, the le leve vellllllin ve in ng up agenda isn’t rhetoric. It is set to be one of the largest and most crucial levers that the government has to successfully rebuild communities – those impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as those suffering from historical regional inequalities. Every day the Army sees first-hand the Ev work that is needed to rebuild. It is heartening to know that this work is being taken so serio ously by national and local governments. PRIORITIES The Salvation Army, in partnership with the Institute for Employment Studies, is conducting research into where and what should be prioritised by the levelling up agenda. Civil service calculations that determine the priority areas consider three correct, but unduly limited indicators: O Local labour pools: Local gross value added, unemployment and post-16 skills O Transport infrastructure: Travel to work areas and ease of transport O Local infrastructure: The percentage of viable home and commercial property These calculations are not enough for policymakers to truly understand what being ‘left behind’ means. And they present a limited picture of the barriers our communities faced pre-pandemic
as well as those they will face postpandemic. We have worked with the Institute of Employyme m nt Ser ervi v ce vi cess to t fililll in the gap a s on ide dent ntif nt ifyi if ying n are ng reas a tha h t sh hou o ld d be prioritised. First, we have expanded the focus around local labour marketts to create a clearer picture of what local economies truly look like. Com ommu muni n tyy gro r wt wth h po ote tenttia iall is muc u h mo morre re nuanc nced ed tha han n unem un empl em ploy pl oyment rates. Therefore this oy expanded focus should also include sector growth, employment durations and an d fu f ll labour pools, including those who wh o ar are e ec e onomically inactive or un nde ere remp mplo mp loye lo yed. ye d. More Mo re eov o er er, a de deeper understanding of the social fabric of these communities is
Organisations such as The Salvation Army are ready to play their part required. To date there has been no real discussion around social indicators for areas that feel left behind – a topic that we believe has been missing from the debate almost entirely. As a result our upcoming research also considers a range of social indicators, including crime, income, health and access to public services. If we don’t capture the experiences of communities, national policy will lack the nuance required to bring about effective local outcomes. To avoid this we must expand our definition of what it means to ‘level up’. INVESTMENT Every day, in every centre, the Army is working and speaking with people whose lives have been turned upside down, who have given up and feel there isn’t much left for them. Each community and each person’s needs are different. If the government wants to level up the country it needs to connect to
these voices. It must create a mechanism for communities to directl tly decide how funding can create the grea gr eate ea test te st cha hang ng ge an and d th t e most positive grow gr o th ow th.. Ou Ourr re rese sear se arch ar c int ch n o th the e le leve v lling ve up agenda is worki king ng han and d in han a d with communities and loc ocal al dec e issio on makers to ensure that each pound spent has true value. Fina Fi nalllly, y in n order for the e le eve elllin ing g up agen ag enda en da a to be e a suc ucce cess ce ss, th ss he go g vernme entt has to rethink how it uses taxpayers’ money. Although physical structure is important, if spending is limited to this it will fall some way short of achieving the ambitious aims the government has set out. If we want to see communities develop, investment must be made in the social infrastructure that props up labour markets. We can’t ask people to work if they can’t access good childcare. We can’t expect young people to move on to high levels of qualification if they don’t have access to sustainable careers services. And we can’t expect those who have been beaten down time after time by the impact of the pandemic to return to work without ready access to good mental health support where required. Organisations such as The Salvation Army are ready to play their part in levelling up society. This agenda was important before, but it is even more vital now as we begin to move out of the restrictions placed upon us as a result of the pandemic. To achieve this shared aim we must work together – but we must also begin the process of expanding our understanding of how we define levelling up and, even more importantly, of who has a say in deciding what that looks like.
ANNIE IS POLICY ANALYST IN THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL POLICY UNIT, THQ Salvationist 12 June 2021
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