Credibility of levelling up is on the line, warns Dan Jarvis

THE GOVERNMENT’S credibility on its levelling up agenda is on the line and has just weeks to be saved, according to Yorkshire’s only metro mayor.

InakeynotespeechattheGreat Northern Conference today, Sheffield City Region Dan Jarvis will say the handling of local lockdowns in the North has damaged trust and confidence in the Government’s ability to deliver on its manifesto commitment.

The economic fallout from the pandemic could ‘‘ level down’ regionslikeSouthYorkshire, setting them back decades and facing an unemployment crisis not seen since the closure of the coalfields.

Mr Jarvis, who is also a Barnsley MP, warns divisions and dissatisfaction will widen among the public if the Government fails to address underlying economic and social inequalities, which have been exacerbated by Covid.

The Treasury must deliver substantial investment at the Comprehensive Spending Review if it is levelling up promises are to remain meaningful, he says.

In a pre- recorded speech at the start of the event organised by The Yorkshire Post in conjunction with the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, Mr Jarvis will say: “The moment to act is now because the credibility of the government is on the line.

“The handling of the pandemic has already dented people’s trust. “We need the Government to tackle Covid effectively, collaboratively, and in a way which recognises and actively counters the disproportionate impact it is having on disadvantaged areas and on the North in particular.

“But the unfortunate reality is that some of their policies – like the failure to fund local test and trace, the chaos over lockdowns, the inadequacy of support for people and companies affected by them – threaten not only to prolong the struggle against Covid, but to exaggerate its already unequal impact.”