Levelling Up Commission
The Levelling Up Commission intends to consider ways to implement the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper and subsequent Bill from the perspective of local and regional government. Too often the Levelling Up agenda is something being done ‘to and for’ local and regional government, the Commission intends to make sure it is done ‘with and by’ them.
Through roundtable meetings with MPs and senior leaders of local and regional government from across the UK, quantitative data analysis and regional sprints, the Commission intends to set out a series of recommendations to consider how regional inequalities can be reduced from the perspective of public services in four key areas:
- Health and Social Care
- Housing and Homelessness
- Education, Skills and Training
- Crime, Justice and Rehabilitation
Commission Team
Paula Sherriff
Chairing this commission is Paula Sherriff. She was the MP for Dewsbury between 2015 and 2019.
She also served as a Member of the Health Select Committee, Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities and Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Social Care.
Paula is a renowned women’s health campaigner and made history as the first opposition member to amend a Government budget, by bringing about the abolition of the ‘tampon tax.’
Outside of politics, Paula has always worked in the public sector including a decade in the criminal justice system.
Hilary Spencer
Chief Executive of the Ambition Institute, Hilary Spencer has held a range of senior positions in the Civil Service, including as Director of Strategy and Performance at the Department for Education, and as Director General of the Government Equalities Office. She is an experienced senior leader in the fields of education policy, equalities, learning and leadership development.
Neil Carmichael
Former Chair of the Education Select Committee, Neil Carmichael served as the MP for Stroud from 2010-2017. As Chair of the Committee, he showed a keen interest in closing education attainment gaps and improving the mental health of students. He is an Honorary Professor of the University of Nottingham and University College London.
Lara Newman
Chief Executive of LocatED, an arms-length body of the Department for Education, Lara Newman has extensive experience across the education sector. LocatED is responsible for buying and developing sites for new schools in England, also advising multi-academy trusts and local authorities on the use of school estates.
Jeffrey Matsu
Chief Economist at CIPFA, Jeffrey Matsu is an expert in public finance and particularly interested in its relationship with regional inequalities. With extensive experience in connecting policy with practice through evidence-based research, he works with partner governments, accountancy bodies and the public sector around the world to advance public finance and support better public services
Janet Budd
Chief Executive of the NHS Transformation Unit hosted by the Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU), Janet Budd delivers change for the NHS, by the NHS. Also sitting on the MLCSU Board as Director of Strategy, she has a wide range of experience in senior leadership in the NHS.
Anita Dockley
Anita is research director at the Howard League for Penal Reform. She has wide-ranging interests including suicide and self-harm in prisons, creative methodological approaches, and generating conditions for a reduced role for the penal system. A member of the ESRC Grant Assessment Panel and the Research Excellence Framework in 2021(social work and social policy) and 2014 (law), she is the managing editor of the Howard Journal of Crime and Justice. She also holds honorary roles at the University of Leicester and Liverpool John Moores University.
George Coxon
George Coxon is the Director and Owner of Classic Care Homes in Devon. With 13 years experience in the residential care sector before that, and 30 years in the NHS, across commissioning, policy and management, he has a breadth of experience across health and social care, with a keen interest in effective integration.
Lord Dennis Stevenson
A cross-bench peer in the House of Lords, Lord Dennis Stevenson is a long-time campaigner for greater understanding of mental illness, founding MQ: Transforming Mental Health, the UK’s leading mental health research charity. He has a keen interest in education, having Chaired Pearson and a commission to advise the Prime Minister on the application of ICT in education.
Commission Posts
Labour Launches Levelling Up Plans: Bridging Regional Inequalities
As Labour set out their vision for levelling up, policy institute Curia set to publish Levelling Up Commission findings.
If the Government Wants to Level Up Britain, it Should Start with Housing
This week, I led a Westminster Hall Debate on Social Housing Occupancy Levels, an issue I have been campaigning on since I become a Member
Levelling Up Meets Health and Wellbeing: The Key to Successful Lifelong Prosperity
The key to lifelong health, wellbeing and prosperity
HS2: Government Promises Funds will be ‘Reallocated’
The government has outlined further details of how it would redirect funding from the scrapped northern legs of the HS2 rail line
Net Zero Levelling up – Keeping Pace
Representatives from across the East Coast gathered at the Darlington Mercure Kings Hotel to discuss levelling up as a country and moving forward with Net Zero.
New housing: Homes England strikes deal for Urban Village in Newcastle
The government’s housing and regeneration agency, Homes England, have announced that they have acquired one of the biggest brownfield regeneration sites in the North East
National Gas Launching Hydrogen Project Union in East Coast Region
Following on from Lord Callanan’s Keynote Speech, Jake Tudge, Corporate Affairs Director at National Gas shared his excitement about his company’s “growing relationship with this region.
Lord Callanan Names Tees Valley as “Vital Area” in journey to Net Zero
At Chamber’s Future Policy Seminar in Darlington, the Rt Honourable Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, delivered the event’s keynote speech.
Solutions to Decarbonisation: Plugging the Skills Gap
At Chamber’s Future Economy Seminar at the Mercure Darlington Kings Hotel, experts in the energy field gathered to discuss the UK’s decarbonation.
Harnessing Existing Skills to Forge Ahead Towards Net Zero
In an informative panel discussion at Mercure Darlington Kings Hotel, in November 2023, those at the heart of the renewable energy sector in the UK gathered together to discuss Darlington’s role in levelling up from a green perspective, and how it can lead the way in the journey towards Net Zero.
Levelling Up Commission: Housing & Homelessness Inquiry
Earlier this year, Curia’s Levelling Up Commission conducted an inquiry on housing and homelessness. The inquiry was split into three panel sessions.
Awaab’s Law: Government Proposes Swift Action to Address Social Housing Hazards
Awaab’s Law: Government plan to force landlords to tackle mouldy homes published.
Transforming Prisons: Calls for Fundamental Reorientation towards Education and Rehabilitation
Fundamental reorientation of criminal justice called for by Chief Inspector of Prisons in England and Wales.
Rehabilitation and Reducing Recidivism
This session covered topics such as the appropriate rehabilitation of offenders, criminal records and the need for earlier intervention
Six Times More Newly Homeless Families than New Social Houses
Newly homeless families now outnumber newly built social homes by six to one, according to official figures for England released on Thursday that expose the widening gap between increasing need and the availability of cheap homes.
Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill becomes Law
New laws to speed up planning and building homes have come into force as the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill became law yesterday.
Levelling Up Commission – Crime, Justice and Rehabilitation
The final Levelling Up Commission session focused on crime justice and rehabilitation. It was hosted by the Commission’s Chair, Paula Sherriff – former MP and shadow secretary for Mental and Social Care.
AUKUS Submarine Design: £4 Billion Granted
In March, Australia, the UK and the US announced details of the so-called Aukus pact to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines by the late
Labour Back Down from Revoking Charitable Status From Private Schools
Private schools will retain some of their tax advantages under a Labour government, as the party has changed course on its promise to strip them of charitable status.
45 Treasured Institutions Provided with £12.3m Levelling Up Boost
The Government has announced that the futures of some cherished local sites such as pubs, museums and sports clubs have been secured with a £12.3m levelling up boost.