Whatever happened to the “Medici model”? Two years ago, Michael Gove enthusiastically outlined his desire to embed the cultural and economic dynamism of renaissance Florence in England’s neglected post-industrial regions. Sadly for the secretary of state for levelling up, it became clear that Rishi Sunak’s Treasury had no intention of releasing the kind of sums that could truly address inequalities in a disastrously unbalanced economy.
What has unfolded instead has been an unsatisfactory cosmetic affair, in which councils hollowed out by cuts have fought for limited Westminster largesse. This week, Mr Gove’s department unveiled the third tranche of cash from the levelling up fund – around £1bn for more than 50 projects across Britain. There is no doubt that money such as that allocated to improve the Penistone railway line between Sheffield and Huddersfield is welcome. But salutary context is provided by comparing the £12bn or so dedicated to levelling up with the close to €2tn spent by Germany on improving living standards in its east between 1990 and 2014.
