Read: Why levelling up goals matter for a whole country, not just part of it

Levelling up is about everyone having the same chance to get on in life, wherever they are born or live. When we talk about levelling up, it’s often in terms of the deep-rooted inequalities faced by communities in the North of England or the Midlands. It’s hugely important those issues are addressed but we should also recognise that even this is just part of a bigger picture. That’s because inequality of opportunity exists everywhere, so in reality levelling up needs to be a mission for our whole country, not just part of it. 

For example it also includes our capital city and the inequalities within London, which are some of the starkest in the whole of the UK. London is a place that has created lots of opportunities but the professional services sectors and the City of London have traditionally been some of the most closed sectors on opportunity and the least diverse. Meanwhile, covid-19 has seen the sectors of retail, hospitality and tourism, traditionally much more open to a diverse London talent base, shed the most jobs, disproportionately hitting opportunities of the young people who are the bedrock of the city’s population and who drive its economy. 

A move towards homeworking post covid-19 will also shift where opportunities are, presenting a difficult transition for the London local economy. Young Londoners can have opportunity on their doorstep, but if they’re locked out of it for whatever reason, then they’re still left with the same issue as so many others across our country - insufficient access to opportunity compared to those with a more privileged start and better connections. 

It means that although London has been Britain’s economic powerhouse - a levelling up strategy still needs to have the capital as a part of it. 

Equally, rural areas and regions that are naturally more isolated or perhaps economically driven seasonally by a larger tourism industry face a different challenge. In the South West, for example, many people are physically the furthest away from long-term opportunities and therefore have to move away entirely to find the life chances they want. For them the issue of the digital divide, having good online connections in an internet world and improving physical connectivity through infrastructure for opportunity is crucial to levelling up.

Working with universities and businesses I have developed the 14 Levelling Up Goals we need to achieve if we are to level up Britain. They cover life chances like education and careers, as well as tackling other barriers such as health and housing that we need to address to unlock the chance for people to fulfil their potential. 

Whilst there are some communities for whom there are challenges across all of the Levelling Up Goals, it’s clear that no community or region in our country has levelling up fixed. None have successfully achieved all 14 Goals. It means that we may find that priorities change for different people in different places, but ultimately, we all need a levelling up plan, wherever we are.

By Justine Greening

Former Secretary of State for Education and founder of the Levelling Up Goals