Most Levelling Up Projects Remain Incomplete Years After Funding Allocation

Freedom-of-information data reveal that 821 of the 1,347 levelling-up projects funded through the Future High Streets Fund, Town Deals and the Levelling Up Fund are still pending, leaving 57% unfinished as of May. No council that secured a bid has seen a single project fully delivered, with 73 areas across the UK still awaiting completion. Regions such as Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north-west of England and Yorkshire show the lowest completion rates, despite receiving the most allocations.

Officials attribute delays to inflation-driven cost pressures and a “begging bowl” culture created by centrally-controlled pots. The Labour government has merged the Town Deals and Levelling Up Fund into the Local Regeneration Fund and introduced the £5.8 bn Pride in Place programme, offering £2 m annually for ten years to give local boards more certainty. Critics warn the new scheme could repeat past shortcomings if long-term capital funding remains slow.