Tag: Department for Levelling Up

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 6 December 2023.

Government launches new High Street Accelerators pilot to help communities and councils join up on long-term regeneration

Ten struggling high streets will take part in a new government pilot – the High Street Accelerators programme – to create partnerships that empower residents and community organisations to work together on long-term regeneration plans.

The funding will help communities partner with local authorities and businesses to address some of the biggest challenges facing their high streets – building on wider action to tackle empty shops, anti-social behaviour and a lack of visitors.

These 10 areas to be called High Street Accelerators will receive an initial £2.37 million to kickstart their partnerships – a total of £237,000 each. They can also apply for a share of up to £5 million to improve their high streets’ green spaces and create more pleasant environments for residents to meet and socialise.

This £7 million will be spent over the next two years and the impact will be evaluated to inform future government policy and support for left-behind high streets, building on larger interventions like the £1.1 billion Long-Term Plan for Towns.

Minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young said:

It has been a tough few years for our high streets following the pandemic and the changes we’ve seen in consumer behaviour.

We know that local people know what’s best for their area, and we’re keen to understand the benefits that High Street Accelerators could bring working with local businesses and their communities.

These Accelerators will complement other interventions like High Street Rental Auctions, empowering local people to tackle vacancy and other issues on their high streets.

The High Street Accelerators Pilot Programme was announced in March 2023 as part of the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan. It will complement other interventions designed to revive England’s high streets such as the High Streets Task Force which is helping local leaders to regenerate their areas, and changing planning rules so councils have greater certainty.

New regulations to be introduced next year will also give local authorities more powers to work with landlords to rent out vacant properties on high streets. The High Street Rental Auctions regulations will allow councils to sell off the rental rights for empty properties to willing tenants, such as businesses and community groups.

Along with High Street Accelerators, this will incentivise and empower local people to tackle vacant buildings, enabling local communities to reinvent their high streets for the future.

Areas receiving funding as part of the High Street Accelerators programme:

• Abingdon Street and Queen Street in Blackpool
• Stoke Town Centre in Stoke-on-Trent
• Queen Street with Blackburn Road and Church Street in Great Harwood Town Centre in Hyndburn
• Scunthorpe High Street in North Lincolnshire
• Union Street and Yorkshire Street in Oldham Town Centre
• The Stepney area of Beverley Road in Hull
• King William Street in Blackburn Town Centre in Blackburn with Darwen
• Grimsby Town Centre in North East Lincolnshire
• Dovercourt Town Centre in Tendring
• Hyde Town Centre in Tameside

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 30 November 2023.

Homeowners will be able to install rooftop solar panels more easily without costly planning delays.

Changes to permitted development rights rules will mean more homeowners and businesses will be able to install solar panels on their roofs without going through the planning system.

Currently those who have to go through the planning system are having to wait over eight weeks and face extra costs.

The move will encourage more people to install solar panels on their properties, slashing their energy bills in the process and cutting down on harmful emissions.

Housing and Planning Minister Lee Rowley MP said:

We must make sure our homes are fit for the future and can help us meet our net zero ambitions.

By cutting red-tape in the planning system we can make sure homeowners and businesses can install solar panels without being held up by costly delays. Crucially, these permitted development rights are still subject to important conditions, including their use in conservation areas.

Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Graham Stuart MP said:

Today we are cutting through red tape to make it easier for businesses to install solar panels on their rooftops.

Removing the 1MW restriction for industrial rooftop solar will help us meet our target of 70GW of solar power by 2035 while supporting hundreds of long-term skilled British jobs, bolstering our world-leading renewables sector and reducing bills for consumers with panels.

The changes will mean homes with flat roofs will be able to install panels without planning permission, bringing rules in line with those for businesses.

Current rules that require businesses to apply for planning permission if solar panels will generate more than one megawatt of electricity will also be scrapped, meaning organisations will be able to install more solar panels on rooftops without the delay and cost of applying for planning permission.

The Government is clear that where possible already developed land should be used for solar panels, which is why the changes will make it easier for panels to be installed in canopies above car parks, if they are over ten meters away from people’s homes.

The changes to permitted development rights build on government action to speed up the planning system and slash bureaucracy, as set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act which is now law.

These measures also support ambitions set out in the British Energy Security Strategy published by government last year – taking the necessary steps to combat climate change and bring greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 28 November 2023.

People at risk of homelessness will be helped into stable, long-term accommodation thanks to nearly £150 million of government funding.

• Nearly £150 million allocated to build 1,230 homes for rough sleepers
• 46 local authorities and housing providers will receive money as part of the government’s Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme
• The programme also provides wrap around services to address substance misuse, domestic violence and abuse, wellbeing and mental health

People with a history of rough sleeping and those at risk of homelessness will be helped into stable, long-term accommodation thanks to nearly £150 million of government funding.

46 local authorities, housing providers, and charities across England will build or buy 1,230 homes for the most vulnerable, all funded by £148.4 million of the government’s Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme.

The money also funds a wide range of accommodation and support services for vulnerable adults, including purpose-built accommodation and supported housing, as well as helping with building repairs and renovations.

These new services also include 24/7 support for the most vulnerable, with access to specialist teams where people can address substance misuse, domestic violence and abuse or improve their wellbeing and mental health. The project forms a major part of the major cross-government’s £2 billion programme to end rough sleeping for good.

Felicity Buchan, Minister for Housing and Homelessness from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said: 

Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. This is why we are so committed to supporting the most vulnerable in our society and helping them off the streets for good.

This funding will not only provide housing for rough sleepers but will also give tailored support to help those most in need off the streets, rebuild their lives, and begin to live independently.

Funding has been targeted at areas where it is needed the most – this includes £9.9 million to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, over £6.4 million to Leeds County Council, and £5.2 million to Manchester Council.

Worthing Homes in Sussex will receive £4 million to deliver 34 homes, communal rooms for group therapy, and a homeless drop-in centre. While The Homeless Action Resource Project in Southend-on-Sea will receive £3.3 million to deliver 32 homes by redeveloping and retrofitting existing properties.

The Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, said:

I’m extremely pleased that we’ve secured over £50 million to support local councils to build more homes and deliver vital support services to people sleeping rough in London.

This will make a real and lasting difference for hundreds of people in our capital, ranging from those recovering from addiction, to young people at risk of homelessness.

No-one should have to sleep rough on our streets and the Mayor is doing everything in his power to ensure that everyone in this position gets the support they need.

The fifth and final bidding round for the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme is underway now, and final allocations will be announced early next year.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 27 November 2023.

Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill introduced to Parliament today will give homeowners a fairer deal, and greater rights and protections.

Millions of homeowners in England and Wales will be given greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes as part of the most significant reforms to the leasehold system for a generation.

A key part of the Government’s Long-Term Plan for Housing, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill, introduced to Parliament today, will make it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to buy their freehold, increase standard lease extension terms to 990 years for houses and flats, and provide greater transparency over service charges. The Bill will also rebalance the legal costs regime and remove barriers for leaseholders to challenge their landlords’ unreasonable charges at Tribunal.

The new powers will also help more leaseholders take over the management of their property if they wish to, instead of being stuck with the freeholder’s management choice, and we will make this process cheaper for leaseholders.

The Government will also bring forward further reforms which will extend access to redress schemes and make it easier and cheaper to get the information needed to sell a leasehold home.

Ahead of the Bill’s introduction, the Housing Secretary, Michael Gove said:

People work hard to own a home. But for far too long too many have been denied the full benefits of ownership through the unfair and outdated leasehold system.

That’s why liberating leaseholders forms a vital part of the Government’s Long-Term Plan for Housing.

So today marks a landmark moment for millions of leaseholders across the country, as we unveil laws to deliver significant new rights and protections, slash unfair costs and crack down on exploitation.

The Bill addresses one of the longest-term challenges that the country faces – fairness in the housing market. The measures in the Bill will put the country on the right path for the future by addressing the historic imbalances between leaseholder and freeholder to give homeowners a fairer deal, greater protections, and more rights.

The Bill will strengthen existing, and introduce new, consumer rights for homeowners by:

• Making it cheaper and easier for people to extend their lease or buy their freehold so leaseholders pay less to have more security in their home.
• Increasing the standard lease extension term to 990 years for houses and flats (up from 50 years in houses and 90 years in flats), so leaseholders can enjoy secure ownership without the hassle and expense of future lease extensions.
• Giving leaseholders greater transparency over their service charges by making freeholders or managing agents issue bills in a standardised format that can be more easily scrutinised and challenged.
• Making it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to take over management of their building, allowing them to appoint the managing agent of their choice.
• Making it cheaper for leaseholders to exercise their enfranchisement rights as they will no longer have to pay their freeholder’s costs when making a claim.
• Extending access to redress schemes for leaseholders to challenge poor practice. The Government will require freeholders, who manage their building directly, to belong to a redress scheme so leaseholders can challenge them if needed – managing agents are already required to belong to a scheme.
• Making buying or selling a leasehold property quicker and easier by setting a maximum time and fee that for home buying and selling information.
• Granting homeowners on private and mixed tenure estates comprehensive rights of redress, so they receive more information about what charges they pay, and the ability to challenge how reasonable they are.

The Government will also give greater rights to those in mixed-use blocks of flats. Currently leaseholders in these buildings are barred from taking over the management of the site or buying its freehold if more than 25% of its floor space is commercial – such as shops or offices on the ground floor. The Government will now increase the floor space limit to 50 per cent, so that more leaseholders can access the Right to Manage or the right to a collective enfranchisement.

It will also level up the rights of residents of freehold estates by granting freehold homeowners on private and mixed tenure estates the same rights of redress as leaseholders and equivalent rights to transparency over their estate charges.

The Bill will also rebalance the housing system for leaseholders by:

• Scrapping the presumption that leaseholders pay their freeholders’ legal costs when challenging poor practice that currently acts as a deterrent when leaseholders want to challenge their service charges.
• Banning opaque and excessive buildings insurance commissions for freeholders and managing agents, replacing these with transparent and fair handling fees.
• Banning the sale of new leasehold houses so that, other than in exceptional circumstances, every new house in England and Wales will be freehold from the outset.
• Removing the requirement for a new leaseholder to have owned their house or flat for two years before they can extend their lease or buy their freehold.

The Bill brought to Parliament today forms part of the Government’s long-term plan for housing and delivers the Government’s manifesto commitments on leasehold reform. As announced in the King’s Speech, the Government will introduce some measures at first reading and others as amendments as the Bill makes its way through Parliament to deliver on the full range of commitments set out above. These will include measures to amend the Building Safety Act 2022 to make it easier to ensure that those who caused building-safety defects in enfranchised buildings are made to pay, and that the leaseholder protections are not unfairly weighted against those who own properties jointly.

The Government is also already consulting on options to cap ground rents for existing leases that will protect leaseholders from facing unregulated ground rents for no service in return. The consultation closes on 21st December and the Government will respond shortly afterwards.

Further information

• These reforms have been prepared using detailed reports to the Government provided by the Law Commission and have been extensively consulted on with the sector.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 24 November 2023.

A major £450 million pound levelling up package revealed at this week’s Autumn Statement.

The Chancellor outlined a major £450 million pound levelling up package at this week’s Autumn Statement which will drive economic growth in all parts of the country. This new funding comes on top of the billions we have already allocated through Levelling Up Partnerships, Investment Zones and additional money for transformative projects across the country.

The continued backing for our mission to Level Up comes after the third round of allocations from the Government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund which has now awarded £4.8 billion to initiatives that will drive economic growth in communities everywhere.

Investment Zones and Freeports

Investment Zones are an opportunity to embed innovation throughout the economy. They support the growth of priority sectors, leveraging existing strengths to drive rapid expansion. This week we announced new Investment Zones, each of which has already received investment from the private sector: focused on advanced manufacturing in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, on green industries in the East Midlands, on life sciences in West Yorkshire, and, in partnership with the Welsh Government, two Investment Zones for Wales – one in Cardiff and Newport and a second in Wrexham and Flintshire.

We also increased the duration of Investment Zones and Freeports, which will last to ten years – doubling their value to communities across the United Kingdom. The government is also creating a £150million flexible Investment Opportunity Fund to support Investment Zones and Freeports to secure business investment over the next five years.

Levelling Up Partnerships

The UK Government has committed £80 million for the expansion of the Levelling Up Partnerships programme to Scotland, for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Argyll and Bute, Dundee, and the Scottish Borders. We have worked closely in collaboration with Scottish Government on the methodology to select places and will design a programme that fits within the Scottish policy context.

We will work with Welsh Government on potential opportunities in Wales and continue to work with local stakeholders on how best to level up communities in Northern Ireland. The programme extends the announcement of 20 initial Levelling Up Partnerships in England at Spring Budget 2023, which built on the success of initial trials of such partnership working in Blackpool, North East Lincolnshire and Northumberland.

Bespoke Levelling Up Capital Funding

Following the third round of the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, we have committed a further £37.5 million for five additional capital projects. This will support regeneration, transport and culture, and will fund; the Isles of Scilly Museum and Cultural Centre; Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub; the Inspiring Eden Enterprise Hub; transport in Chepstow, including through the town’s Transport Hub; and in Warrington, by improving local connections.

We are also providing £15m to Bolsover to ensure all Priority Places, identified by the Levelling Up Need metrics set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, have received government investment.  There will also be £5 million for Barrow-in-Furness – where significant contributions to national security are being made, but investment is needed to unlock housing growth, regenerate the town centre, and deliver a range of measures across transport, skills and education

Devolution

The Autumn Statement also represents another step forward for devolution seeing more power transferred from Westminster to local people who know their communities best.

We have confirmed four new devolution deals – ‘level 3’ mayoral deals for Greater Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire; and non-mayoral deals for Cornwall and Lancashire at level 2. We have also confirmed that we are in advanced negotiations with Devon and Torbay about a ‘level 2’ devolution deal for the area.

As we widen the pool of devolution, we also continue to deepen it: a new ‘level four’ in our devolution framework offers local authorities more devolved spending in the future, greater control of spending from the Affordable Homes Programme, and more local control over adult skills, transport, and achieving net zero. For Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, we have published a new memorandum of understanding that sets out how these areas will exercise control over a single funding settlement.

Housing

We can only level up if we build the beautiful homes that communities need. The Autumn Statement backed the Government’s long-term plan for housing which provides the roadmap for how this can be achieved.

The plan focuses on building the right homes in the right places, including ambitious plans to accelerate developments in Cambridge, Leeds and London.

Cambridge, Leeds and London

We will tackle their respective challenges, whether that is by addressing water scarcity near Cambridge or supporting ambitious plans for a new West Yorkshire mass transit system, as part of Network North.

In Leeds, £2 million will support Leeds City Council to develop integrated plans for three new city quarters that will bring together housing, transport and economic investments to transform the liveability and productivity of the centre of Leeds.

In London, £23 million for a new bus network will unlock housing as part of Docklands 2.0.

In Cambridge, we are allocating £9 million – including £5 million of new funding – to improve the barrier of water scarcity and accelerate the new Cambridge Delivery Group.

Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme

Our housing associations and local authorities are critical to boosting overall housing supply, we cannot build the homes we need without them. By extending the Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme by £3 billion we will help the already successful scheme support the delivery a total of 20,000 new affordable homes, as well as supporting works to improve quality and energy efficiency.

Home Buying Process

This Government is committed to removing the barriers that make buying a home unnecessarily difficult. We will exploit the potential of new technology to improve the buying and selling process, including running pilots to develop ‘proptech’ products and digitise council property data. We will continue our reforms to the process of purchasing and selling homes.

Homelessness prevention

The Government has allocated £450 million across two years to a third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund, which will help support Afghans on resettlement schemes and others in temporary housing need. This funding allows councils to manage homelessness pressures more effectively and makes it easier for vulnerable people to find settled accommodation.

The government is providing £120 million for local authorities to invest in homelessness prevention, supporting private renters to remain in their homes and providing temporary accommodation to families and individuals. We will also continue to support our guests from Ukraine, rightly extending the ‘thank you’ payments for sponsors across the UK into a third year.

The government is increasing the Local Housing Allowance to cover the 30th percentile of local market rents. This will make 1.6 million low-income households better off, with an average gain of £800 in 2024-25. Rates will be raised across Great Britain in April 2024.

Planning

We will maintain a focus on the blockers to development, recognising the scale of the challenge. We are injecting up to £17 million in additional funding into the planning system to help local authorities reduce planning application backlogs, making it easier to get new homes approved and built.

Where there are reasonable proposals to reconfigure homes, we will make this easier, consulting on a new permitted development right to streamline planning decisions for homeowners.

We are also publishing a new prospectus on infrastructure delivery that sets out how we will go further than our current reforms. Only by building major infrastructure faster and cheaper will we prepare the UK for the challenges of the 2030s and 2040s, lay the foundations for the economy of the future, and make sure that everyone, everywhere, benefits from the opportunities ahead.

Nutrient Neutrality – Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund

Unlocking much needed homes held up by defective EU rules remains a priority. The House of Lords voted against Government proposals that would have unlocked over 100,000 homes, whilst protecting and improving the environment. This is despite the reforms having had the strong support of housebuilders and local authorities. The Government is now focusing on making rapid progress in unlocking homes within the existing legal framework, in order to meet our manifesto commitment to build one million homes over this Parliament. That is why we will make £110 million available through the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund, to help planning authorities in affected areas deliver tens of thousands more homes before the end of the decade.

In response to the Nutrient Neutrality measures, the following stakeholders said:

Melanie Leech, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation

We welcome these measures, which promote growth, through incentivising planning delivery. Long and uncertain time taken in planning can increase risk and project costs considerably. On complex projects, developers are generally willing to invest in planning delivery if it guarantees a good service.  We await the details, but the principle of what the Chancellor is doing is very much supported.

Local Development Orders (LDOs) are an innovative part of our planning regime, offering locally determined flexibility. We have long been supporters of their greater use, as we believe they can help support the regeneration and repurposing of places like town centres. It is therefore well received that the Government is putting some resource behind some local planning authorities, to allow them to test LDOs.

Simon Carter, Chief Executive of British Land

The time it takes to secure planning permission is increasing. We therefore welcome the specific measures announced by the Government today, to speed up planning delivery and provide greater certainty for developers and investors. We are strong advocates for practical, deliverable planning reform, to unlock urban regeneration and drive growth and productivity in towns and cities across the country.

Mark Allan, Chief Executive of Landsec

We’ve been campaigning for a focused approach to planning reform to unlock the huge potential of brownfield urban regeneration. The measures announced today, combined with a plan to provide proper resourcing of the planning system, should move us in the right direction to generate more growth, more homes and more jobs around the country.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 21 November 2023.

Six projects are awarded grants from round three of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund to support major regeneration and transport projects.

Six major regeneration and transport projects across Scotland are set to receive almost £122 million from the third round of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund – a multi-billion-pound initiative improving lives for local people.

The UK Government has today announced a total of £1 billion to support 55 projects across Great Britain from the Levelling Up Fund. Proposals for Moray, North and South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish borders have each been awarded a share of the flagship fund, which will see upgrades to their town centres, high streets and local transport.

Scotland will receive the second highest award given to any single project in this round – a significant £37.4 million to create new commercial buildings, better cycling and walking routes and more electric vehicle charge points across North and South Ayrshire.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:

“Levelling up means delivering local people’s priorities and bringing transformational change in communities that have, for too long, been overlooked and undervalued. Today we are backing 55 projects across the UK with £1 billion to create new jobs and opportunities, power economic growth, and revitalise local areas. This funding sits alongside our wider initiatives to spread growth, through devolving more money and power out of Westminster to towns and cities, putting in place bespoke interventions to places that need it most, and our long-term plan for towns.”

Other projects being funded:

• In a joint bid across the South of Scotland, over £22.8 million will renovate historic buildings in Annan and Peebles and improve cycling and walking routes along the Clydesdale Way.
• A fund of £13.7 million will also be invested to improve transport connectivity in Dumfries and Galloway, including new EV charging for cars, electric buses, improvements to walking and cycling routes, and new transport hubs in five towns in the region.
• In Moray, over £18.2 million will transform the town centre of Elgin into an attractive urban hub where high-productivity businesses can thrive.
• Glasgow City Council will receive almost £15 million to invest in Drumchapel town centre, improving connectivity into and around the town to improve retail opportunities and boost the local economy.
• And in South Lanarkshire, £14.6 million will regenerate the Shawfield National Business District to prepare the site for future development, as well as the nearby Polmadie Burn so the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District Campus can be relocated there, boosting employment and education for the community.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

“It’s fantastic news that these six locally developed projects in north, central and southern Scotland have been given the go-ahead. Sharing £122 million UK Government funding, they will transform communities through improvements such as better, greener transport infrastructure and connectivity, regeneration of buildings and land and creation of education, business and employment opportunities.

“Our levelling up commitment to communities across Scotland so far stands at almost £2.7 billion. We are focused on working with local partners to deliver the change that the country needs to put the UK on the right path for the future.”

These new investments build on the £343 million already awarded to Scotland in previous funding rounds, bringing Scotland’s total Levelling Up Fund to £465 million.

Projects already underway include the restoration of Edinburgh’s iconic Granton gasholder, a £16 million investment from the first round of the Levelling Up Fund. The historic structure, which is at the heart of wider plans to regenerate the whole waterfront area into a thriving coastal town, will become a useable centrepiece for the community.

Construction work to improve sustainability and tourism in Inverness is also kicking off along the River Ness, with the support of £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund. The three projects will create a new Castle Energy Centre in Castle Street, refurbish and preserve the Victorian grandstand in Northern Meeting Park and improve sporting and events infrastructure at Bught Park’s grandstand.

Growing the economy and making the long-term decisions to deliver the change the country needs is a priority for the Prime Minister.

Earlier this year the UK Government announced two Green Freeports in Scotland, in the Cromarty Firth and the Firth of Forth, and two Investment Zones in Glasgow and the North East.

Today the Chancellor has confirmed the Investment Zones programme in England will be extended from five to 10 years. Alongside this, the window to claim Freeport tax reliefs in England will be extended from five to ten years until September 2031.

The UK Government will work with the Scottish government with the intention of delivering the same extension to Investment Zones and Freeports in Scotland.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 20 November 2023.

55 local projects awarded share of nearly £1 billion from Round 3 of government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund, to spread opportunity, create jobs and revitalise local communities.

New levelling up funding will provide a major boost to high streets and improve transport links with £1 billion awarded today to 55 transformational projects in communities across the UK.

These include upgrades for the fishing sector and sustainable jobs in Torbay, breathing new life into treasured heritage and culture buildings in three former mining communities in Doncaster and essential funding needed to transform Blackpool town centre’s transport network.

As part of this, £150 million will be allocated to develop better transport links across the country with £825 million to kick-start regeneration in town centres. This will create new jobs and opportunities, power economic growth and revitalise communities.

Levelling up Secretary Michael Gove said:

Levelling up means delivering local people’s priorities and bringing transformational change in communities that have, for too long, been overlooked and undervalued.

Today we are backing 55 projects across the UK with £1 billion to create new jobs and opportunities, power economic growth, and revitalise local areas.

This funding sits alongside our wider initiatives to spread growth, through devolving more money and power out of Westminster to towns and cities, putting in place bespoke interventions to places that need it most, and our Long-Term Plan for Towns.

Funding is spread across all corners of Great Britain, with the North West receiving £128 million, the North East £59 million, Yorkshire and the Humber £169 million and the Midlands £171 million in total.

The government has drawn on the impressive pool of bids which narrowly missed out on funding in round two but were assessed as high-quality and able to deliver quickly.

It is testament to how many excellent projects have been submitted, and championed by local MPs and councillors, that this round of funding was awarded within the pool of previously submitted bids.

This will drive forward the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy by levelling up and provide the foundations for building a better future in communities across the UK.

Since 2021, the Levelling Up Fund has helped drive prosperity and pride in place in communities across the UK. Across the first two rounds of the Levelling Up Fund, £3.8 billion has been awarded to 216 projects which are underway.

For example, with the support of £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund round one, the Bolton College of Medical Science plans to welcome students from September 2024, providing a new facility to support young people in Bolton and attract talent from outside the town.

And in Portsmouth, a brand new, carbon neutral ferry terminal was opened earlier this year as part of money from round one of the fund, which will provide a significant economic boost by helping the International Port to manage an additional 250,000 passengers a year.

Today’s announcement follows the £1 billion Long-Term Plan for Towns unveiled last month, to empower communities across the UK to take back control of their future through local priorities; reviving high streets, tackling anti-social behaviour, improving transport and growing the local economy.

This commitment to towns follows other initiatives designed to support towns, including driving economic growth in 101 areas through the Towns Fund, and the £1 billion Future High Streets Fund, which is creating thriving high streets.

Further information

The government has drawn on the impressive pool of bids submitted at round two which we were not able to fund earlier in the year but were assessed as high-quality and able to deliver quickly. We will work closely with local authorities to ensure that the projects allocated funding can make a difference to communities as quickly as possible.

The full list of projects is available to view online here

We have targeted funding at the places most in need across Great Britain, as assessed through our Levelling Up Needs metrics, which take into account a wide array of metrics including skills, pay, productivity and health. We have also taken care to ensure that every part of Great Britain benefits from this round of funding. A full methodology note has been published.

In Northern Ireland, given the current absence of a working Executive and Assembly, the Government is not proceeding with this round of the Levelling Up Fund at this time. We will continue to work closely with projects and places in Northern Ireland that were awarded a total of £120 million in the first two rounds of the Fund.

Levelling up commitments

Today’s allocations also come on top of significant action already taken by the government to level up communities across the country. This includes opening 12 Freeports, signing 5 devolution deals, connecting 740,000 homes and business with gigabit broadband, and helping 195 community groups take ownership of their cherished pubs, clubs and local landmarks at risk of closure.

Town Deals have been providing funding of up £25 million, to 101 towns in order to boost local economies outside of big cities and deliver vital infrastructure. Projects are now in delivery and the funding has already boosted towns centres and local high streets.

The government also announced last month that 55 towns will be given £20 million endowment-style funds each over 10 years to invest in local people’s priorities through the Long-term Plan for Towns.

Revitalising towns and cities

In this round of the Levelling Up Fund, over £825 million from round three is being provided to regenerate towns and cities in nearly 50 projects, helping boost high streets and grow local businesses.

Pembrokeshire will see over £10.5 million to improve public accessibility across Pembroke town, focusing on Westgate, Eastgate and overall improvements to the environment.

In South Tyneside, £20 million will be given to South Shields Riverside to be used for three projects. This includes the redevelopment of the Grade II listed Customs House cultural hub, a ground-breaking Centre for Excellence at the Holborn Renewable Energy Network and accommodation as part of the relocation of South Tyneside College.

Billingham Town Centre in Stockton-on-Tees will be receiving £20 million to create a vibrant, modern town centre that safeguards its retail businesses and levels up its high street.      The town of Elgin in Scotland will receive £18 million to transform it into an urban hub and help the region attract and retain high productivity businesses.

Improving transport links

£150 million from the Levelling Up Fund has been allocated to eight projects across the United Kingdom to improve transport links. All of these projects are in Levelling Up Priority Places.

This includes £48 million for major upgrades to the Penistone line in Yorkshire to help reliability of rail travel between Sheffield and Huddersfield. The funding will also help provide enhanced station facilities such as electric vehicle charging points, car clubs, cycle hire and parcel delivery lockers.

Scotland will receive £13.8 million in levelling up funding to improve transport connectivity in Dumfries and Galloway, including new EV charging for cars, electric buses and charging infrastructure, cycle route improvements, and new transport hubs in five towns in the region.

The Isle of Wight will get £13.6 million to deliver the Island Green Link, providing cycle and walking infrastructure extending from Ryde in the East to Yarmouth in the west of the island. This will help residents and visitors to get across the island and will unlock potential for new housing and jobs.

Delivering for the North

19 projects across the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber will be receiving a total of £356 million in levelling up funding, almost a third of the allocations provided in total in this round.

Known for its history in textiles such as wool and cotton processing, Keighley in Yorkshire will be receiving £19.8 million to boost its strong manufacturing heritage. Levelling up funding will contribute towards a new Advanced Robotics and Engineering Institute to support the expansion of the advanced manufacturing and engineering industry.

£15.4 million will transform Blackpool town centre, improving traffic flow, access to public transport, and infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.

In Newcastle Upon Tyne, £19.4 million of funding to create a restoration facility, aimed at sustaining the use of the river and access to quays to support economic activities, unlock hundreds of new jobs, meet the needs of the offshore energy sector and increased international trade.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 20 November 2023.

Seven projects are awarded grants from round three of Levelling Up Fund to support long-term regeneration and growth.

• Projects include regeneration schemes in Port Talbot and Rhyl, creating a vibrant public area in Barry Dock and upgrading cycle routes in Powys
• Chancellor announces intention to work with Welsh government to extend window for Freeports and Investment Zones to unlock further investment

Regenerating Port Talbot town centre, creating a public area on Barry’s waterfront and upgrading cycle routes in Powys are some of the transformational projects awarded a share from the UK Government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund.

Seven projects have been allocated £111 million in Wales which will help create jobs, drive economic growth and spread equality to historically overlooked areas – restoring pride in the places people live. This will drive forward the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy by levelling up and provide foundations for building a better future in communities across the UK.

This announcement builds on previous Levelling Up investment into Wales through funds such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Freeports and the Long-Term Plan for Towns. This takes the total figure to over £1.2 billion in addition to other investments in local growth, such as £790 million of UK Government investment in City and Growth Deals in Wales.

Levelling up Secretary Michael Gove said:

Levelling Up means delivering local’s people’s priorities and bringing transformational change in communities that have, for too long, been overlooked and undervalued.

Today we are backing 55 projects across the UK with £1 billion to create new jobs and opportunities, power economic growth, and revitalise local areas.

This funding sits alongside our wider initiatives to spread growth, through devolving more money and power out of Westminster to towns and cities, putting in place bespoke interventions to places that need it most, and our long-term plan for towns.

A total of £27 million has today been awarded to Neath Port Talbot after two successful bids, including £15 million to regenerate Port Talbot town centre with improvements to Civic Square, the refurbishment of Princess Royal Theatre and improvements to green space at Riverside.

A fund of £12 million has also been awarded to restore and reopen the historic Grade II listed Newbridge bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, whilst Newbridge Road and Riverside Road will also be upgraded.

A further £20 million has been awarded to the Barry Dock waterfront to create a vibrant public area with a new business centre and food and drink outlets, along with almost £18 million to encourage healthier ways of travel in Powys. This includes restoring footbridges and improving the National Cycle Network by resurfacing several paths and improving connectivity to popular tourist destinations.

Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies said:

This is another hugely significant investment in transformative projects across Wales. From town centre regeneration to improving travel infrastructure, these schemes will have a positive impact for generations to come.

The UK Government continues to invest in communities throughout Wales as we work towards our aims of growing the Welsh economy and levelling up the UK.

Wales has been very successful in the first two rounds of the Levelling Up Fund, with a total of 21 projects receiving over £329 million. It means the UK Government has significantly exceeded the minimum 5% it originally ringfenced for Wales at the outset of the fund, with Wales receiving over 9% across the three rounds totalling £440 million overall for 28 projects.

Previous investments across the first two rounds of the fund include the Porth Transport Hub, which will rejuvenate the town’s pre-existing railway station into a modern, centralised and accessible transport centre for locals and visitors. It also includes electric car charging points, a new taxi rank and cycle storage, plus upgrades to the local travel network.

Growing the economy and making the long-term decisions to deliver the change the country needs is a priority for the Prime Minister.

Today the Chancellor has confirmed the Investment Zones programme in England will be extended from five to 10 years and the window to claim Freeport tax reliefs in England will be extended from five to ten years until September 2031.

The UK Government will work with the Welsh government with the intention of delivering the same extension to Investment Zones and Freeports in Wales.

Projects awarded Levelling Up Fund money in Wales today:

• Almost £18m to encourage healthier ways of travel in Powys including by restoring footbridges and improving the National Cycle Network by resurfacing several paths and improving connectivity to popular tourist destinations.
• £20m to transform a site on the Barry Dock waterfront into a vibrant public area, with a new business centre, food and drink outlets, and recreational and marina facilities.
• More than £15m towards renovating a number of derelict buildings and creating more green areas in Llanelli town centre
• £20m for projects to develop and boost areas in Denbighshire, such as Rhyl, which will include regenerating the town centre, creating more community centres, improving cycle and footpaths, and improving routes between the town and coast.
• £12m to restore and reopen the historic Grade II listed Newbridge bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, whilst Newbridge Road and Riverside Road will also be upgraded.
• £15m to regenerate Port Talbot town centre with improvements to Civic Square, the refurbishment of Princess Royal Theatre, and improvements to green space at Riverside.
• More than £10m to improve public accessibility across Pembroke town, focusing on Westgate, Eastgate and overall improvements to the environment.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 15 November 2023.

Private landlords banned from having ‘no DSS’ and ‘no children’ policies and Decent Homes Standard introduced in the private rented sector for the first time.

Changes put forward to the Renters (Reform) Bill to crack down on rogue landlords, protect vulnerable residents and improve the decency and safety of homes for millions of tenants are being introduced today (15 November).

The Government has tabled amendments to make it illegal for landlords and agents to have blanket bans on renting to people who receive benefits or who have children – ensuring families aren’t discriminated against when looking for a home to rent and protecting the most vulnerable. Landlords will still be able to carry out referencing checks to make sure a tenancy is affordable and have the final say on who they let their property to. This will apply to England and Wales and will be extended to Scotland via a further amendment at Report Stage.

Alongside this, a Decent Homes Standard (DHS) will be applied to the private rented sector for the first time. The new standard will set a clear bar for what tenants should expect from their home ensuring it is safe, warm and decent. It will be set following further consultation and will help to meet the target of reducing non-decency in rented homes by 50% by 2030.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove said:

Everyone deserves a home that is safe, warm and decent. But far too many live in conditions that fall well below what is acceptable. As part of our Long-Term Plan for Housing we are improving housing standards across the entire private rented sector, while also ending discrimination against vulnerable people and families who are being unfairly denied access to a home.

Local Authorities will be given new enforcement powers to require landlords to make properties decent, with fines up to £30,000 or a banning order in the worse cases. Tenants will also be able to claim up to 24 months rent back through rent repayment orders up from 12 previously.

Councils will also be given stronger powers to investigate landlords who rent substandard homes, providing them with the tools they need to identify and take enforcement action against the criminal minority and help drive them out of the sector.

The amendments will now be considered at Committee stage for the Bill in the House of Commons and are a vital next step in delivering a fairer system for both tenants and landlords. The changes will support the majority of good landlords by making existing rules clearer and more enforceable.

The wider reforms in the Bill are a once-in-a-generation change to housing laws to ensure the 11 million tenants across England will benefit from safer, fairer and higher quality homes. This includes a ban on ‘no fault’ evictions to protect tenants and give them the security to call out poor standards without fear of losing their home. It also gives tenants a legal right to ask for a pet and creates a new Ombudsman to resolve issues with their landlords more quickly.

The reforms are part of the Government’s long-term plan for housing that includes speeding up the planning system and reducing delays to ensure we can build the homes that communities want and need.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 9 November 2023.

Consultation launched today including a number of options to cap ground rents for existing leaseholders.