Most levelling up projects still unfinished years after funding allocated

Data released under freedom of information laws reveals that hundreds of projects remain unfinished despite Conservative promises on regional equality. As of May this year, 821 out of 1,347 levelling up projects were yet to be finalized, highlighting a significant gap between ambition and delivery.

Across the UK, 73 council areas that had bids accepted for projects have not seen a single one fully completed. The Guardian identified 59 projects that were completed since the data was collected. Regions such as Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have experienced slower delivery of their levelling up projects, despite having fewer projects overall. Notably, North-west England and Yorkshire had low completion rates, although they were allocated the most projects initially.

The Conservative government, led by Boris Johnson, came to power in 2019 with promises to revive left-behind towns as part of a levelling up agenda spearheaded by Michael Gove. However, with 57% of projects still unfinished, many communities are still waiting for these ambitions to materialize.

The figures cover three main funds associated with the levelling up agenda:

• Future High Streets Fund (launched in 2018)
• Town Deals (introduced in 2019)
• Levelling Up Fund (established in 2021)