Levelling up or left behind? Why it is critical the next parliament continues with the levelling up agenda, and centres the environment through a holistic approach.

It has been three years since the Government announced its flagship ‘Levelling Up Agenda’. With Government priorities in a state of flux until a new leader is in place, it is more important than ever to ensure the focus on levelling up is not lost, and even more important that net zero and the environment are not lost within it.This article first appeared in PR Week.

The popular narrative when thinking of levelling up and the environment is energy, green jobs and green skills, with a focus from transitioning away from high-carbon industries to low carbon technologies. These are, of course, hugely important issues - with one in every two carbon-intensive industries located in the Midlands, the North and Scotland - there are clearly geographical disparities. The scale of change needed to address this is problem vast, and it is vital that as we shift away from carbon intensive industries, where many employees are on low wage jobs, people do not simply transition to a different kind of low wage job, but rather are equipped with the skills that can help reach net zero and improve their quality of life.

However, the current framing of the levelling up debate, particularly in relation to the environment is too narrow. A broader framing that includes social justice and nature at its heart is needed for levelling up to have any genuine impact.

Redefining green

Firstly, the definition of a ‘green job’ needs to be broadened to a more holistic view. The common description for low carbon sectors is one frequently viewed as spearheading innovative new technology and are often male dominated. However, gendered and racial outcomes are rarely taken into consideration in the framing of green jobs. Nor is it acknowledged that many low carbon jobs already exist, such as care work. Research from the Women’s Budget Group found that a 2% GDP investment in care (e.g. social care, childcare, parental leave and care level) creates double the number of jobs for women and almost as many for men than the same investment in construction. The social care sector is in desperate need of further funding and vision (as recently noted by the Levelling Up Committee), so at the very least, recognising its role as a low-carbon job would be a good start in driving investment.

Broadening the narrative of adaptive reskilling

Secondly, is the need for ‘adaptive reskilling’ to both reach net zero and drive levelling up across the country. Again, this is an area for which the parameters of what is discussed are often too narrow. For the UK to deliver on its climate promises and reduce pollution, a major area that must be tackled is consumption, for example within the fashion industry. Each week 13 million tonnes of clothing are sent to landfill and the fashion industry is responsible for up to 10% of annual global carbon emissions. However, there is a paradox at play in in tackling this issue. To reduce emissions and cut back on textile waste our consumption habits will need to drastically decrease, leading to further closures of high street stores. The effect of this will see job losses in a workforce occupied predominantly by women and ethnic minorities (on shop floors, not boardrooms).

Ironically, the image of the dwindling high street towns is a common feature of the levelling up trope and a flagship part of the Government’s approach. The launch of their £830m Future High Streets Fund is a welcome sign of this, but investments have to be more than just making town centres attractive places to live, and rather invest in the very people whose jobs have been lost. It is vital that women from low-income backgrounds and people from minority ethnic backgrounds can access training and development programmes through subsidies or other incentives (including paid education leave) to ensure they aren’t locked out of the transition process. Driving down consumption in heavily polluting industries such as the retail sector whilst simultaneously bringing a sense of life back to ghostly town centres is only possible if people have the skills to help redefine what a sustainable town centre should be.

The role of nature

The role of nature is also critical to the levelling agenda and the Government is only just waking up to this. In the Government’s flagship Levelling Up White Paper natural capital is a missing piece of the puzzle. References to nature within the document largely cite schemes already in existence such as the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, ELMs and the Government’s commitment to 10% Biodiversity Net Gain. Yet, research by Green Alliance demonstrated that improving peatland, woodland and urban parks, could create at least 16,000 entry level and skilled jobs across 20% of the constituencies experience the most severe employment challenges post-pandemic.

Nature must both be valued by its economic benefits, and its benefits to the individual. The APPG on Left Behind Neighbourhoods found that neighbourhoods deemed ‘left behind’ places have a lower concentration of green assets and recreational space, coupled with higher reports of criminal damage and a relative lack of development in comparison to England as a whole. It is not just about having access to these spaces but being able to make use of them in a way that can enhance mental and physical wellbeing.

The recent announcement of the Levelling Up Parks Fund shows the Governments is starting to understand the importance of green spaces to provide sanctuary and help unite communities. The allocation of the £9 million, which will be awarded to places identified as most in need of quality green space using the Index of Multiple Deprivation supported by mapping by Natural England also shows a more robust approach than the usual bidding process. However, when split equally across 100 different localities, it is likely the £9 million won’t go all that far.

As we look ahead to the next parliamentary session, the hope is the levelling up agenda doesn’t get lost amongst the noise of a new leader. For it to become a truly meaningful flagship policy, what is most important is that it recognises the true value of centring the environment through a socially just lens, rather than leaving it, and those most at risk, behind.

This piece was written by Ellen Bassam. If you’d like to know more about Seahorse and how we can support your work, get in touch at ebassam@seahorseenvironmental.co.uk