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| Secretary of State for Levelling Up | |
|---|---|
| Post | Secretary of State for Levelling Up |
| Body | United Kingdom |
| Incumbent | [Incumbent not linked] |
| Incumbentsince | [Date not linked] |
| Appointer | Monarch of the United Kingdom |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| Seat | Whitehall |
| Formation | Cabinet of the United Kingdom |
| Firstholder | Michael Gove |
| Precursor | Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government |
| Deputy | Minister of State for Housing and Planning |
Secretary of State for Levelling Up is a senior ministerial post in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom responsible for the executive portfolio originally created to implement the government's agenda on regional investment, infrastructure, and spatial inequality. The holder heads a ministerial department charged with local government relations, housing policy, urban regeneration, and place-based economic development, and is accountable to Parliament via questions, debates, and select committee oversight.
The office evolved from earlier posts including Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and elements of the Department for Transport. It was established amid the aftermath of the 2019 United Kingdom general election and the policy platform associated with the premiership of Boris Johnson and the political project often referred to as "levelling up" championed during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election. Predecessors in overlapping fields included holders such as John Prescott under cabinets led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and later incumbents such as Eric Pickles and James Brokenshire during the tenures of David Cameron and Theresa May. The office has intersected with agencies including Homes England, Local Government Association, and quangos such as the Planning Inspectorate, reflecting continuity with reforms enacted under statutes like the Localism Act 2011 and the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
The secretary oversees national policy instruments, funding streams, and statutory frameworks shaping place-based interventions and public investment priorities. Powers derive from primary legislation including the Local Government Act 2000, frameworks linked to the National Planning Policy Framework, and ministerial directions affecting bodies such as Homes England and Historic England. The post manages relationships with devolved administrations—Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Northern Ireland Executive—and liaises with intergovernmental forums such as Joint Ministerial Committee. The role exercises appointment and oversight functions for non-departmental public bodies including Royal Town Planning Institute-interacting entities and participates in cross-department initiatives with Department for Transport, Department for Business and Trade, and HM Treasury.
Notable holders include Michael Gove, who was first appointed when the post was created, followed by successors appointed by Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss during cabinet reshuffles. Other politicians associated with similar ministerial responsibilities include Gavin Barwell, Sajid Javid, and Robert Jenrick whose tenures in related departments shaped housing and planning policy. Historical analogues with responsibilities for regional policy include Barbara Castle and Keith Joseph in earlier cabinets.
The department headed by the secretary comprises directorates and ministers with portfolios such as local government, housing, planning, regeneration, and equalities. It employs civil servants drawn from the Civil Service and interfaces with executive agencies like Homes England and advisory bodies such as the Town and Country Planning Association. Offices are based in 2 Marsham Street and Fry Building, with ministerial offices located in Whitehall and interdepartmental coordination conducted through Cabinet Office mechanisms. The organisational chart commonly lists Ministers of State, Parliamentary Under-Secretaries, Permanent Secretaries, and special advisers drawn from campaign teams associated with figures like Dominic Cummings in prior administrations.
Initiatives branded under the levelling up agenda have included multi-year investment funds, town deals and city deals resembling earlier programmes such as the City Challenge and Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. Major programmes have ranged from targeted capital pots to transport investments engaging agencies like Network Rail and projects involving High Speed 2 corridors, as well as housing schemes coordinated with Homes England and planning reforms influenced by the National Planning Policy Framework. Interventions have referenced economic catch-up objectives similar to Regional Development Agencies models and draw on urban regeneration precedents exemplified by Canary Wharf and Salford Quays. The office has sponsored research partnerships with institutions including What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth and policy dialogues with organisations such as the Resolution Foundation.
Critiques have come from opposition parties including Labour Party and Liberal Democrats, think tanks like Institute for Fiscal Studies, and campaign groups such as Campaign to Protect Rural England over transparency, allocation criteria, and programme evaluation. Debates have invoked comparisons to historical regional policy failures under Industrial Development Act 1966-era interventions and contested funding decisions reminiscent of earlier controversies around City Deals distribution. High-profile disputes involved ministers appearing before select committees such as the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, public disagreements with local authorities including Manchester City Council and Leeds City Council, and media scrutiny from outlets including The Guardian and Financial Times.
Cabinet of the United Kingdom Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Localism Act 2011 National Planning Policy Framework Homes England House of Commons Select Committee on Levelling Up, Housing and Communities City Deal Devolution in the United Kingdom Regional policy in the United Kingdom Local Government Act 2000 High Speed 2 Network Rail Historic England Local Government Association What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth Institute for Fiscal Studies Resolution Foundation Monarch of the United Kingdom Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Whitehall Civil Service Cabinet Office DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government) Michael Gove Boris Johnson Rishi Sunak Liz Truss David Cameron Theresa May Tony Blair Gordon Brown John Prescott Eric Pickles James Brokenshire Gavin Barwell Sajid Javid Robert Jenrick Barbara Castle Keith Joseph Dominic Cummings Homes England (agency) Town and Country Planning Association Campaign to Protect Rural England Manchester City Council Leeds City Council The Guardian Financial Times Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee City Challenge Neighbourhood Renewal Fund Industrial Development Act 1966 Regional Development Agencies Canary Wharf Salford Quays 2 Marsham Street Fry Building Joint Ministerial Committee Scottish Government Welsh Government Northern Ireland Executive Royal Town Planning Institute Planning Inspectorate Department for Transport Department for Business and Trade HM Treasury What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth