State of the North 2021/22: Powering northern excellence

Article

Two years on from the UK government’s promise to level up, the rhetoric has reached fever pitch, but its definition and the policies to deliver it remain elusive.

This year’s State of the North report highlights the gap between promises and reality on levelling up. We need to further empower those across the North who are already levelling up for themselves, and make sure no place or community is left behind.

To underpin this objective we provide three missions for a prosperous North that offer a clear roadmap for central government, mayors, combined authorities, local government and communities to ensure levelling up succeeds, and the North can thrive:

  • building a new economy that promotes widespread prosperity
  • making the North the engine of the net zero transition
  • providing everyone with access to high-quality, life-long education.

Related items

  1. The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, River Thames and Westminster Bridge

    Taxing choices: Taking the public’s temperature ahead of the budget

    The stakes for a government are rarely higher than at a budget. Every chancellor has dealt with this differently. Ken Clarke would draft his budget speech with cigars and whisky, Gordon Brown pored over every word in what officials called…
  2. Scottish parliament building at Holyrood and Calton Hill, Edinburgh

    Great expectations: Rejuvenating the national debate in Scotland

    Fresh IPPR Scotland polling shows that politicians must raise their game if next year’s election is a to be serious debate about the challenges facing Scotland and potential solutions. 
  3. A Black man in a bright orange high vis jacket and hard hat stands in the middle of a road holding a sign that says 'STOP - WORKS'

    Unfinished business: Redressing inequality in British policy and Black lives

    As conversations about race and equality continue to evolve, Black History Month remains a powerful invitation to pause, reflect, and recommit to progress.