Is this*levelling up* ? A view from the South

Yes of course it is.

“Levelling up” has become “save the Tories”

Reading the headlines today, they are going to need all the help that they can get. Frankly I think it is time to throw in the towel and call an election.

Even vocal life time Tory supporters like Rod Stewart are advising them to give up because of the state of the NHS, and all public services.

Others are appalled at the worse level of Tory sleaze the U.K. has ever had.

Brexit is an utter failure and businesses are clambering for some glimmer of intelligence and sense as to the way forward. We have had the worst car production record this past year (since brexit) for the past 66 years. Thousands of businesses are set to go bust this year. Hunt is going to make a speech on Friday about it. Fat lot of good that will do.

You only have to walk down any road and look at the state of it. Our generation has the misfortune of remembering how it used to look. Roads with no potholes, verges tidy and litter free. I can remembering going abroad for the first time to a country not so well placed as the U.K. and being struck by the crumbling roads and litter etc. this would not look so bad in comparison now.

Nothing works, everything is wrong and the voices are getting louder and louder.

Tories it is time to go

Go now!

That’s this mornings rant over with😄

Hunts speech will be how it’s all going to be marvellous with the freedoms we’ve got etc. So Much BS. Just to keep the smoke and mirrors going and the faithful happy. As far as levelling up - no it not just about the north, there are plenty of deprived areas along the south coast and in London. Christchurch and Poole aren’t the ones that spring to mind.

Litter free? Not when I lived there in the 1950s and 60s and early 70s. It was disgusting and very noticeable. When we left we noticed a huge difference where we had moved to. Breath of fresh air. No stinky trains, either.

Might be something to do with this.

Westminster voting intention:

LAB: 50% (+5)
CON: 21% (-)

Lifelong Tory.............but no more. After too much of being on the side of big business whilst we plebs keep things turning over at the bottom of the pile. Plus too many jobs with no prospects, contracts, benefits and low pay. Cannot our elite see that this situation leads to poor health and growth of crime when people are in dead end situations with no hope. We really are at rock bottom.

gangy5 another lifelong Conservative here, for the first time in my life I think I will spoil my ballot paper.

Although we are hoping for our rather good independent councillor might stand, which case they get my X

I see Cruella has rowed back on the crucial Windrush reforms.

The epitome of evil that one.

Whitewavemark2

I see Cruella has rowed back on the crucial Windrush reforms.

The epitome of evil that one.

I agree, that is truly appalling. She has absolutely no conscience .

No. Put very simply, seaside towns are quite deprived; the property is generally expensive but the income is mainly from pensions, many retired, therefore not so much tax. Few industries available, not so many work opportunities. Plus the older generation needing more health care and a high number of itinerants in hotels out of season.

The Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch (BCP) area is not as rosy an area as people seem to think. A misconception I think from bygone times.

"levelling up" is a meaningless election slogan.

Local areas should not have to compete for funding.The government does not know best.

A decent government would restore the funding of Local Authorities which has been decimated by the Tories and let locally elected Councillors decide how best to spend the money in their own areas.

I wasn't aware that Bournemouth was poor, in fact, thought Christchurch one of the richest places in the country. Despite this, there are areas of the south that are very deprived, including parts of Tower Hamlets in London, Jaywick in Essex and Margate in Kent.
Levelling up money should go to the most deprived areas, regardless of whether they are north or south.

varian

"levelling up" is a meaningless election slogan.

Local areas should not have to compete for funding.The government does not know best.

A decent government would restore the funding of Local Authorities which has been decimated by the Tories and let locally elected Councillors decide how best to spend the money in their own areas.

I agree.

Even seemingly prosperous places have their areas of deprivation.

nanna8

Litter free? Not when I lived there in the 1950s and 60s and early 70s. It was disgusting and very noticeable. When we left we noticed a huge difference where we had moved to. Breath of fresh air. No stinky trains, either.

No stinky trains, that’s a laugh, when I was in Melbourne in the 1970s the red rattlers in Melbourne had carpets of cigarette ends on the carriage floors, they smelt awful, you need to take your rose coloured glasses off 😀

I agree Callistemin21. All that levelling up means is local authorities competing for a small proportion of the grant aid removed by the Tories (and Lib Dems in coalition) over 13 years. It's exactly the same as City Challenge invented by the Tories in the 1980s. It diverts local authority resources into competing with other councils and most are losers at the end of the day.

Of course, in the old days areas of high deprivation had access to EU funds ...

Yes and they benefited enormously. All stopped.

MaizieD

Of course, in the old days areas of high deprivation had access to EU funds ...

As the UK was a net contributor to the EU, where has all this promised money gone to now?

Into a black hole?
We should be awash with funds.

Let's not forget that "levelling up" was also meant to keep the red wall Tory by giving money to the areas that had elected a Tory MP. There is evidence that those areas are turning back to red redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/latest-red-wall-voting-intention-3-4-october-2022/
And those MPs are defecting
labourlist.org/2022/01/red-wall-conservative-mp-christian-wakeford-defects-to-the-labour-party/

why is no one bothered that the campaign was full of lies, like the money that would go to the NHS?

We are bothered, but the right wing press continues with the lies and the unthinking swallow it.

Callistemon21

MaizieD

Of course, in the old days areas of high deprivation had access to EU funds ...

As the UK was a net contributor to the EU, where has all this promised money gone to now?

Into a black hole?
We should be awash with funds.

Well, it's because the national economy doesn't actually work that way

I think I read somewhere around the time of the referendum that every pound invested in the EU via our contribution brought £19 back into the UK economy (trade and the multiplier effect). If we look at it simplistically, whatever we have 'saved' by leaving the EU has been eroded by the drop in trade and growth caused by Brexit.

What Whitewavemark2 says. It's the Tories trying to hang onto key seats in the South.

Well, the Tories are definitely not intending to level up the quality of our rivers.

They voted to allow the continuance of sewerage dumping for the next 15 YEARS!!