East MPs ask for more money from 'levelling up' fund

Projects such as upgrades to Norwich city centre have been part funded by the levelling up fund

MPs from the East of England said the region should receive more money from the government's "levelling up" agenda.

A debate at Westminster Hall heard it received the second lowest government funding per head in England.

According to the Local Government Association, the region received 40% less from the levelling up fund compared with other parts of the UK.

The Conservative minister overseeing it, Neil O'Brien, said the region would "not be overlooked".

The government said levelling up meant investing in historically under-funded areas to improve local economies and opportunities.

It hoped to share prosperity and opportunities more equally across the UK and boost economic performance beyond the capital.

Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire received a share of £86.6m out of £1.7bn given out through the first round of funding. The government will eventually hand out £4.8bn across the UK.

Peter Aldous, the Conservative MP for Waveney who called the debate, said he feared the region would "not recognise its full potential", adding that "infrastructure both old and new" needed upgrading.

Peter Aldous, MP for Waveney, warned the region could be "bypassed" by goverment

Duncan Baker, Conservative MP for North Norfolk, said: "Levelling up is about levelling up the entire country but it is so often perceived as not that."

Follow Conservative Tom Hunt, MP for Ipswich, told the debate "for too long Suffolk has got a raw deal" from government funding.

MPs pointed to A-road and rail junction upgrades that were delayed and the need to improve broadband and mobile coverage in rural areas.

MP for Cambridge, Labour's Daniel Zeichner, told Westminster Hall the East-West rail project was "absolutely crucial" and asked it be kept "on track".

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But Rachel Hopkins, Labour MP for Luton South, said levelling up was being used by the government to "pit nations and regions against each other as they vie for a cut of limited funding".

In response, Mr O'Brien said "absolutely the East of England will not be overlooked by the levelling up agenda", but he was unable to promise any extra funding.