3 locations in the South East will not benefit from the Government’s £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund according to a new Salvation Army research report.
Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight were all identified as being lower priority for Levelling Up funding by the Government. However, The Salvation Army research instead identifies these areas as needing the highest level of Government support to reverse a spiral of economic decline.
The report, Understanding People, Understanding Places is the biggest social mapping exercise in The Salvation Army’s recent history. It analyses how and where to invest funding to help communities tackle poverty.
The findings show that while coastal and rural areas feature some of the highest levels of deprivation, these are also the areas most likely to miss out on Levelling Up investment.
The Salvation Army research analysed the local labour market in comprehensive detail and asked local people what they needed to find stable work. The Government’s Levelling Up analysis did not break the labour market into as much detail and also divided need up into larger areas which meant pockets of deprivation in otherwise more affluent areas were not prioritised.
The Church and Charity is warning that unless the Government rethinks the Levelling Up Agenda, entire communities will be left behind, spiralling into further poverty and damaging thousands of lives.
Understanding People, Understanding Places – key findings:
- The Government has prioritised 93 areas to be given access to ‘Levelling Up’ funding but The Salvation Army’s report identified a further 45 in urgent need of investment which includes Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight
- The Salvation Army’s analysis shows a number of coastal and rural areas around the country, including in the South East, that should be high priority were missed out of the Government’s calculations.
- The Government’s analysis of need was mainly based on unemployment figures, whereas The Salvation Army report analysed the local labour market in more detail. This highlighted how 0 hours contracts, seasonal employment and shrinking traditional industries prevent people from finding stable and skilled employment.
- Lack of access to childcare was one of the key barriers to people finding work.
- There is a risk that a disproportional amount of funding could be spent on infrastructure such as road and bridges, rather than projects to help communities upskill people and access employment.
As part of the Levelling Up Agenda and upcoming White Paper in the autumn, Government will be investing further funds into Local Authorities in the priority areas. However, the Government has yet to set out exactly when and how that will happen. The Church and Charity is calling on the Government to rethink how need is calculated to ensure that when the funding allocation process starts, investment is made in areas with the most need and invested in sustainable projects that will help people and communities to move out of poverty.
The Salvation Army is offering young people the chance to gain employment with the church and charity as part of the Government’s Kickstart scheme. The initiative is a 6-month paid job placement, funded by the Government. The Salvation Army is offering seven roles in the South East for 16 to 24 year olds, who claim Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment. These roles are in areas such as digital and social media, community support and retail.
Rebecca Keating, The Salvation Army’s Director of Employment Services, said:
“The £4.8 billion earmarked for Levelling Up is a bold move by the Government and an opportunity to lift thousands out of unemployment but we are worried that this investment is missing many key areas in serious decline.
“As well as analysing employment and income data, we talked to people to find out first-hand what people needed. Many people told us they have been stuck in low-skill seasonal jobs, which are now at risk following the pandemic but they are too old to easily access training courses to reskill. One of the most common issues are single parents faced with jobs offering wages that don’t cover the cost of their childcare.
“We want to encourage the Government to listen to the communities who need their help.
“Every day we work with people who are being pushed even further from employment as local businesses close, or they are trapped in a cycle of low-paid seasonal work and zero hours contracts. While there are similarities in the Government’s analysis of need and our report, there are too many areas of severe deprivation that have been overlooked. We must ensure investment reaches these people; it’s the only way to truly level up the country.”
The Salvation Army is calling on the Government to:
- Reconsider how funding is allocated from the Levelling Up Fund, with coastal communities being recognised as an investment priority.
- Develop a new plan of investment in accessible childcare to allow people to access work and training opportunities. Recommendations include extending 30 hours per week of free childcare to 52 weeks, extending business rates relief for nurseries and providing additional childcare services to parents whose children benefit from the school Pupil Premium grant (4).
- Engage with communities to identify what investment will best ‘Level Up’ these areas. Invest in skills and employment support; to help individuals out of low-skill, low-wage employment.
The Salvation Army has 150 dedicated employment specialists whose support can be accessed in person or remotely via its 650 churches, community centres and Lifehouses. These specialists offer tailored support with job training, apprenticeship schemes like Kickstart and help people find and stay in work.
Our MP needs to get involved on this Big Time …Come on BOB !!
Yes he does, but don’t hold your breath
you do not reverse economic decline by building more houses in commercial areas, turning the shops in the high street into flats, continuing to impose stupid taxes on businesses that would otherwise open up in what is left of the high street and continually impose more and more dumb red tape on businesses, such as pointless studies, targets and all the other non operational/business related dross that is dreamt up these days
start by removing the bid levy, that just gets given to desk jockeys that chit chat all day long and achieve absolutely nothing.
Bob won’t get involved in anything to do with “normal” people. To busy feathering his own nest.
“There is a risk that a disproportional amount of funding could be spent on infrastructure such as road and bridges, rather than projects to help communities upskill people and access employment.”
With a Prime Minister obsessed with building, it’s more than a risk.
the ‘Government’s’ £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund or Taxpayers money???
We desperately need investment in manufacturing and industry , there are some
great companies on the Island who employ a lot of islanders but we need more
What we dont need is all of these houses to be built for DFLs and downsizers from the mainland .Where there is no employment for locals who then cant buy or rent a
property it opens the door for others to move into and just like Cornwall we will end up having
half the population during winter months !!
The problem here is that most of the pompous London middle class see the island as a fantastic holiday home destination where all is milk and honey. A bit like the queen thinks the whole of England smells like new paint.
the salvation army are always there
Wherever there’s homeless. They’ll build hostels for them. Nevermind anyone who then has to suffer because of it.
The Island has been levelled down for so long now that it would take an almighty hoist to level it back up to even a fraction of what it used to be before.