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

To ask Her Majesty's Government why the plan for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc was not included in their Levelling Up white paper; what is the status of growth plans for the Arc; and whether the Arc plan is being replaced by plans in other areas.

The Levelling Up White Paper is the first step in changing the way that Government works with places to deliver for people across the UK. It sets out an ambitious future for devolution across the United Kingdom, including a flexible approach to empowering local areas to deliver on their local ambitions. Our next steps include engaging with local authorities to explore their interest in this approach, including those within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. We continue to recognise the importance of the Arc as a globally renowned area of innovation for life sciences, space and green technologies. In October 2021, we completed a 12 week public consultation gathering views to shape a vision for an Arc Spatial Framework. We are currently considering the consultation responses and will provide more information in due course.