Whiff of pork barrel politics over funding
From: Dr Olivier Sykes, Liverpool.
I READ with interest (The Yorkshire Post, April 5) on the potential legal challenge to the Government’s so-called ‘Levelling Up’ fund.
As a Yorkshireman now residing in Merseyside, I have seen over the years how the EU always stood by our northern regions – for example, kickstarting the transformational recovery of the Liverpool area since the 1990s. The UK government has been less constant in its support.
In the past decade of deep austerity cuts for many less prosperous areas, it even redirected EU funding towards more wealthy and often Tory leaning areas.
So sadly it comes as no surprise that the funding supposed to replace EU regional and regeneration support is mired in accusations it is being subverted to political ends by the ‘Brexit’ government.
There are certainly big questions to be answered around the so-called Towns Fund, and the Levelling Up fund. The fact Richmondshire, which contains Rishi Sunak’s own constituency, was placed in the highest priority group for levelling up support above less prosperous Barnsley, for example, sticks out like a sore thumb.
The potent whiff of ‘pork barrel’ politics – where taxpayers’ hard-earned money is showered on areas to try and boost support for the ruling party – stands in stark contrast to the previous EU funding system.
This allocated resources transparently on the basis of need and potential and was committed to areas for six to seven years. Just one more thing we have lost because of Brexit.