Ruskin College seminar discusses the future of levelling up
Intro
Ruskin College was delighted to host the University of West London’s Centre for Inequality and Levelling Up (CEILUP) for their recent event, ‘the Future of Levelling Up’, examining progress in tackling regional inequality, on Thursday 11 May.
Main body
An invited audience from across higher education, local government, the public and private sectors was on hand to consider the challenges associated with addressing this issue, and what mission-led policy making and levelling up means going forward.
On the panel were expert speakers Alex Norris MP, who is Shadow Minister for Levelling Up; Jessica Studdert, Deputy CEO of New Local; Zoe Billingham, Director of IPPR North; and Sam Bright, Journalist and author of Fortress London: Why We Need to save the Country from its Capital.
The event was chaired by the Head of CEILUP, Professor Graeme Atherton, and Professor Peter John CBE, Vice-Chancellor of the University of West London, who is also Principal of Ruskin College.
Professor John noted in his introductory remarks that Ruskin College, with its long-standing and prestigious history in tackling inequality, was an ideal place to host such discussions.
Jessica Studdert spoke first, arguing that the best way to level up the country was to devolve power to local authorities and communities. She believes that this would restore pride to places that have long suffered from high levels of deprivation.
Sam Bright, on the other hand, suggested that a long-term national approach was required to truly address the root causes of regional inequality, while Zoe Billingham stressed that the cost of living crisis could pose a serious threat to levelling up. She also set out the three main ingredients to secure levelling up: transport, skills, and investment in public spaces.
The keynote speaker, Alex Norris MP, stated that levelling up could be understood through two terms: money and power. Tackling regional inequality means devolving power to communities and local government, he said, but also investing sufficient money to regenerate areas.
Overall, Professor Graeme Atherton said:
This event illustrated both the need for levelling up but also the challenges associated with making a real difference to inequality. Key to addressing these challenges is creating spaces where we can share ideas and collaborate, and the Ruskin College event series does that.”
- UWL's CEILUP research centre aims to produce policy-relevant research that can shape approaches to addressing inequality and level up the UK. Find out more about its work on the UWL website.