The leader of a council which has been granted nearly £20 million in government levelling up funding told a meeting that 'levelling up is a lie'.
Tameside Council leader Brenda Warrington was addressing councillors during a budget debate when she made the comments, adding a push to greater devolution was ‘pure rhetoric’.
Last year, the government announced it had awarded Tameside council £19.87 million of funding to regenerate areas of Ashton-under-Lyne, including towards the restoration of the town hall.
The government also recently unveiled its long promised ‘levelling up’ plan to improve opportunities across the country by 2030, which was a part of the Conservative Party manifesto in 2019.
It comes as regional disparities between the wealthiest and poorest areas of the UK have grown ever wider during the pandemic.
But Cllr Warrington told the budget council meeting that the government was responsible for the current ‘cost of living crisis engulfing residents’.
It came as a majority of town hall members agreed to hike council tax by 2.99 per cent, split between a 1.99 per cent general rise and one per cent for adult social care.
Addressing the Conservative opposition group, she said: “We are determined that in spite of this Tory government and their policies that absolutely completely destroy all the efforts of local authorities, we won’t be destroyed, we will continue.
“Government cuts to council budgets means that we have no choice but to keep on looking at council tax increases for our residents. We don’t want to have to, but we do.
“And levelling up, I’ve said it before, levelling up is a lie. Another Tory lie. It’s like so many other promises.
“The government talks about devolution for the north; quite frankly they’re empty words – pure rhetoric.
“It’s all intended to try and hang on to the seats that you won in 2019.”
When it was announced in October that they had won the cash from the levelling up fund, cabinet member for finance Cllr Oliver Ryan said they ‘welcome any Government support for our own ambitious plans for Tameside and Ashton’.
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