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Twelve of London’s most deprived boroughs will miss out on Rishi Sunak’s £4.8bn ‘levelling up’ fund
Research by City Hall today revealed that 14 of the capital’s 33 boroughs were officially classed as deprived
(PA Wire)A dozen of London’s most deprived boroughs are set to miss out on Rishi Sunak’s £4.8bn “levelling up” fund after being judged less in need than the Chancellor’s affluent north Yorkshire constituency.
Research by City Hall today revealed that 14 of the capital’s 33 boroughs were officially classed as deprived – yet only Newham and Barking and Dagenham have been placed in the Government’s top tier for help.
Richmondshire, which includes Mr Sunak’s Richmond constituency, has been put in the top category amid claims the fund, for town centre regeneration, is skewed towards Tory areas.
It is unclear how the categories were allocated and more information is expected next week.
According to the Index of Multiple Deprivation, 14 London boroughs are among the poorest areas in the country.
Yet Hackney, Lewisham, Haringey Waltham Forest, Brent, Enfield, Greenwich and Ealing have been placed in the second tier of the Government scheme.
Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Islington were placed in tier three.
Sadiq Khan today said there was “blatant unfairness” with the scheme. He called on Ministers to publish the funding formula and explain how north Yorkshire was in greater need than Tower Hamlets, one of the boroughs worst hit in the UK by covid.
The Mayor said: “I fully support levelling up those bits of the country that are left behind, but the fact is that London has some of the most deprived communities of anywhere in the country, with stark inequalities in health and life expectancy, made even worse by the pandemic.
“It therefore beggars belief that the very bits of London needing levelling up have virtually been ignored from Government funding dedicated to talking inequality.
“These formulas for funding can’t be cooked up behind closed door – Londoners deserve full transparency about how these decisions are made and why our communities have missed out. Otherwise there’s more than a whiff of pork barrel politics about it.”
The Treasury has been approached for comment.
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