Read: Barney over Sunak’s call to ‘level up Tunbridge Wells’ prefaces the debate to come
Rishi Sunak’s suggestion to Tory supporters in Tunbridge Wells that his version of levelling up meant more resources for neighbourhoods like theirs rather than ‘deprived urban areas’ was not exactly what I meant when I urged [Read: If the Tories dial down levelling up they risk handing the initiative to Labour] the Conservative leadership candidates to spend more time addressing the subject.
The charitable interpretation of Mr Sunak’s words is that he was allowing himself to be rather loose in his language in order to push the buttons of supporters in heartland areas whose votes he desperately needs in the contest. He was speaking to a friendly audience at the Constitutional Club and was clearly not expecting his remarks to be circulated more widely, and certainly not to be clipped by an audience member and leaked to the New Statesman. It was the kind of unguarded gaffe for which political opponents have long sent innocent looking young researchers to events, armed with recording devices (ahem, so I am told).
The incident deserves wider attention because it prefaced the vital debate that will be renewed once the new prime minister is in place, namely what should levelling up mean and which groups and areas should it prioritise. The defence from the Sunak camp - that the former chancellor was drawing attention to the question of how to support pockets of deprivation in more affluent non-metropolitan areas - will rightly be central to that question. It will be a question not only for the next PM, but also for the Labour party. The shadow ministers seeking to form the next government will want to signal that they will target investment where it has the greatest impact. They will be aware, however, of the cost to certain communities - and the knock-on potential political cost to their own electoral prospects - if they signal in advance a reversion to the kind of local authority funding formulas that could indeed make it comparatively harder for struggling communities outside larger urban areas to get support.
The issue of social mobility and inequality has always been complex, with a wide variety of determinants but less well-defined locations. In our wealthiest city, London, there are areas of extreme deprivation next to streets which are home to immense wealth. That is also true of other cities across the UK. In some of our most popular coastal regions with some of the most desirable second homes on the market, you can find areas where poverty and unemployment are rife. Similarly, many apparently comfortable rural areas offer far too little opportunity for many who were born there and who want to get on.
If the country is to prosper, opportunity needs to be accessible to every community, regardless of postcode. That is absolutely right, and is what the Purpose Coalition has been advocating for some time. Our business partners have driven this approach and many have become anchor institutions in the areas where they operate. Their knowledge and expertise of those communities helps them to target their support towards the groups of people and the locations where it is most needed.
So, for example, aerospace and defence company Leonardo has targeted Yeovil and Lincoln, both areas in the bottom 10 per cent of areas of deprivation, where their academies offer academic and operational training in a highly skilled sector. The Co-op Group, with a presence in every postcode in the country, runs employability programmes in local communities including one in its London and Manchester foodstores which provides structured development experience in retail. Both companies also run hugely successful apprenticeship programmes, channelling talent from every area into skilled work. Virgin Money targets those who need most support through its innovative M account, designed for those in debt, with a poor or no credit history and those identified as vulnerable. It is also working towards eliminating the poverty premium experienced by its own customer base and more widely.
Purpose-led businesses identify those amongst their employees, customers and communities who need the most support, whatever their background, wherever they live. They are leading the way in ensuring that resources are properly targeted so that they are most effective. The new prime minister will need to do the same so that the most disadvantaged have access to opportunities that will make a difference to their lives. Even in Tunbridge Wells.
