Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help ensure that bids for the next phase of the (a) Levelling Up Fund and (b) Shared Prosperity Fund include the promotion of diversity.

The Levelling Up Fund invests directly in communities across the UK, helping to tackle economic differences and drive prosperity in left behind regions.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) provides £2.6 billion of new funding to help places right across the UK deliver enhanced outcomes and recognises that even the most affluent parts of the UK contain pockets of deprivation and need support.

As local authorities will be responsible for delivering UKSPF, we will expect them to make sure the activity they choose to support with their allocation is in line with their own internal requirements and processes. Public bodies are subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty in all their decision-making, and we have asked that places meet these obligations when taking decisions on UKSPF.

We have also asked places to consider complementary interventions at UK, national or local level. This will ensure that funding is effectively targeted and delivered efficiently.