Oldham MP Jim McMahon calls for levelling up paper, to deliver on five key areas

Jim McMahon, Labour Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton has backed five tests set from Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up Lisa Nandy, which the Government’s Levelling Up plan must deliver in order to deliver on the promises of the 2019 election. 

Talking about why these tests are important Jim McMahon MP pointed to new research from Labour, which has revealed that areas virtually every area of England (95%) has received less in funding on average since 2018, than they received from regional development funds, such as the Towns Fund.

In Oldham, local Settlement Funding is estimated to have reduced in real terms by £58m since 2018.

That's while successful bids through the Towns Fund only totalled £24m, showing a £34m real-terms loss for the area since the Government’s levelling up agenda was announced.

The research found that in England 144 local authority areas were still worse off by approximately £50 million on average after receiving Levelling Up funding. 

Setting out the tests last Sunday, January 30, 2022, Ms Nandy said “It simply will not be good enough to give us more of the same – pots of our money to scrap over – without real power on what it’s spent on or a few new mayors.

"We need to change the settlement of our country back in favour of those who built it. 

                                               Ambitions of local people

“For levelling up to truly deliver on this promise, the Government must meet the ambitions people have for our own communities, specifically, this means:

1.         Good jobs in our home towns, so young people have choices and chances and don’t have to get out to get on.

2.         Our high streets are thriving because the local economy is thriving, with good local businesses and money in people’s pockets - not just papering over the cracks.

3.         Our towns and villages are better connected to jobs, opportunities, our family and our friends through good transport, digital infrastructure and affordable housing that we have too often missed out on.

4.         We get the power to take local decisions for ourselves– ending the system where we have to go cap in hand to Westminster to do things we know will work for us.

5.         Our town centres are safe and welcoming instead of plagued by anti-social behaviour, with criminals being let off and victims let down.”

Jim McMahon, Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton, said: “While the Government is distracted cleaning up the Prime Minister’s scandals, they aren’t governing and they aren’t delivering for Oldham West and Royton.

“With these tests, we will see if the Government really intend match the ambition we have for our communities with the power and resources we are owed. A few pots of money to scrap over or some new tiers of bureaucracy won’t cut it. 

“We need to change the settlement of our country back in favour of those who built it. That means growing our economy, and ensuring jobs and opportunities are spread fairly across the country so that young people in Chadderton, Oldham and Royton don’t have to get out to get on.”

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