Preet Kaur Gill MP has today decried the death of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda following the latest funding announcement.
The MP’s city of Birmingham saw no money being given from Government to tackle inequality and deprivation despite it being placed 7th on the most deprived local authority in the Government’s official measure for English local authorities and neighbourhoods.
Birmingham City Council had submitted five bids worth £82million with the backing of their constituency MPs. The Edgbaston bid that was submitted, sought to inject a total of £20 million into the constituency which would have funded a range of new community and cultural facilities. This included money for a community hub at the former Quinton Police Station building to provide support for youth provision and local training and reskilling.
Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston said, “What’s clear is that instead of working for meaningful change and true levelling up, the Conservatives are once again putting their party first and the country second. The biggest regional recipients are those where the Conservatives are most vulnerable to losing marginal seats to Labour. It’s not fair or right that London gets £151m while Birmingham receives nothing.
“It takes an extraordinary arrogance to expect us to be grateful for a partial refund on the money they have stripped out of our communities and for Birmingham, it is even worse as we received nothing.
“In my constituency of Edgbaston, this money would have made a real difference to people’s lives, particularly in Quinton. We understand the needs and gaps in our communities around youth provision, getting people back into work, early years support and where so many people are struggling with the cost of living crisis. The Government has let all of these people down.”
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