Budget 2021: Is your area getting some of the £65m of ‘levelling up’ cash for London?

London is set to get just under £65million of levelling up funding, the government has announced.

Five council areas in London have been successful in their bids for the first tranche of levelling up funding, with one borough receiving close to £40m for two projects.

Brent, Ealing, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth will receive a total of £64.9m.

The projects are:

• Brent will receive £7.75m for the Carlton and Granville Centres.
• Ealing will get £7.2 for the Northolt multi-modal travel scheme.
• Newham will be awarded £19.8m for the Connecting to Opportunity project.
• Newham will also receive £20m for the 15 Minute Neighbourhoods.
• Tower Hamlets is set to receive £9.3m for the Whitechapel Road improvement programme.
• Wandsworth will get £800,000 for the Nine Elms Music Education Centre.

Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, said: “I’m delighted that both our Levelling Up bids to government have been successful, and we’ve been awarded the full amount we bid for.

“However, the national Levelling Up debate, pitting the north over the south, has skewed the reality of scarring inequalities that exist across London.

“We must continue pressing for fairer funding to all of local government, especially areas of huge deprivation like East London, so that no community is ignored or forgotten.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the Budget - the government’s economic plan for the country in the House of Commons yesterday, Wednesday, October 27.

And the DLUHC, previously known as the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government (DHCLG), also announced its list of successful bidders for the fund.

Local authorities were invited to apply for the £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund via the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in March 2021.

The money, awarded by central government, must go towards improving infrastructure and everyday life, such as regenerating town centres, high streets and upgrading local transport.

The Carlton and Granville Centres project will see new social housing built and improvements to community facilities including a nursery and childrens’ centre, while the funding in Ealing will go towards improving the A312 and Kensington Road.

Economic growth is the focus of Newham’s first project, which includes improvements to the area’s Royal Docks, while the borough also aims for all residents to access all “social, civic and economic essentials” within a 15-minute walk or cycle ride.

Finally, Tower Hamlets will spend its funding on the “cultural and historical heart of Whitechapel”, with better pavements, market stalls and rubbish collection.

The cash for Wandsworth will go towards creating a music centre in a former industrial area - now said to be Europe’s largest regeneration zone.

The DLUHC said: “The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund contributes to the levelling up agenda by investing in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centre and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.”