UofG Centre for Public Policy

11 March 2026: Andrew Docherty, Centre for Public Policy Practice Fellow and Delivery, Engagement & Governance Lead (MHCLG), UK Government considers the impact the Levelling Up agenda has had in the Glasgow City Region, noting that while economic growth has occurred, inclusive growth remains uneven.

Background

This research was undertaken through a combination of self-directed study, experience gathered through my role in the civil service, and through engaging University of Glasgow academic and research staff, facilitated by the Centre for Public Policy. I found this engagement to be especially helpful; whilst not all of the findings and topics discussed make it into the below, the input and time from staff I spoke with helped shape my thinking in terms of the blog post, but also more broadly in my approach to economic development, inclusive growth, and the areas and processes that make for effective practice.

The engagement was particularly useful in allowing me to test my experiences and thinking outside the civil service, understanding the theory behind the practice, and identifying where policymaking fell short of theory (and subsequently being able to consider why). Colleagues were able to flag the broader role and groups of society which policy should seek to engage (and support) meaningfully and directly, rather than being top-down, piece-meal, or – at times – tokenistic. I now also have a greater understanding of the range of factors which underpin economic development and the complex balance and trade-offs which must be achieved to drive growth.

I would like to place on record my thanks to the colleagues who took the time to contribute to and/or review my writing, as well as the excellent CPP for all their support and guidance through my Fellowship.

Blog by Andrew Docherty, Delivery Engagement & Governance Lead for Scotland (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), UK Government and CPP 2025 Practice Fellow

What is Levelling Up?

First trailed in 2019, and formally launched in 2022, the UK Government’s (UKG) Levelling Up agenda set an ambitious vision to tackle regional inequality across the UK, redistributing wealth and economic opportunity outwith the South East of England. In this blog, I will consider the initial impact that the Levelling Up agenda has had for the Glasgow City Region (GCR).

The Levelling Up agenda comprises 12 cross-cutting missions which aimed to provide consistency across levelling up policy objectives, and continuity across Government departments in broadening access to economic opportunity and growth.  These missions included areas such as education, skills, health, housing and local leadership; a combination of reserved and devolved matters, with many sitting within the competence of the Scottish Government (SG).

As with any approach to economic development in Scotland, the success – or otherwise – of this policy is partially dependent on relationships between national and local governments. In the GCR context, this typically involved direct engagement with local authorities, as well as an official GCR structure, comprising all eight constituent GCR local authorities. This structure was established in 2014 to manage the GCR City Deal, and has become increasingly important in the policy discourse.

As well as a policy focus, the Levelling Up agenda brought with it significant pots of MHCLG-led funding to the Glasgow City Region, notably the:

• Levelling Up Fund (LUF) – a competitive fund for local authorities to bid into to deliver infrastructure projects in areas of need;
• UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) – effectively a successor to European Structural Funding, targeted at human capital, business and place improvements;
• Investment Zone programme – a £160m allocation for GCR to deliver innovation intensive projects in the Advanced Manufacturing sector;
• Programme for Neighbourhoods – a series of investments of £20m for specific neighbourhoods; and
• Innovation Accelerator programme – a £43m programme to deliver intensive innovation and R&D support to projects within GCR.

In my experience, these investments were broadly welcomed for several reasons:

• UKG seen to be backing up their policy ambition with significant investment;
• UKG engaging directly with local authorities / GCR, enabling them full (or an enhanced) say over how funding was spent;
• new investment at a time of challenging public sector budgets.

Reflections of Levelling Up Funding

Whilst, for example, most LUF projects are still in development, I believe that most of this investment was well placed. In areas facing decades of post-industrial decline, such investments contribute to placemaking, civic confidence and improved connectivity.

Further, there have also been positive developments in the GCR landscape. Funding such as UKSPF, Innovation Accelerator, and the Investment Zone - which are managed at the regional level - have helped develop regional capacity, strengthen regional partnership networks and working, and help strengthen GCR’s calls for enhanced regional devolution.

However, there are also issues with the Levelling Up agenda:

• the complexity and competitive nature of (some) funding pots, which added bureaucracy and further stress on stretched resources. While GCR has relatively strong institutional capacity, some individual local authorities and partners struggled to compete effectively. This risks reinforcing inequalities rather than addressing socio-economic need.
• There was, at times, a lack of clarity in metrics and vision, particularly in the devolved context. Overlapping responsibilities between Governments led to some funding duplication, and tensions around priorities and governance. This creates a risk of fragmentation, rather than transformation. Where LU policy was developed in tandem with SG (e.g. Investment Zones, Green Freeports), the process was more collaborative and stronger in achieving shared ambitions.
• Whilst capital projects are visible, the structural drivers of inequality - health outcomes, educational attainment gaps and entrenched poverty - are less easily addressed through infrastructure alone.

Economic growth has occurred, but inclusive growth remains uneven. I believe there is a disconnect with some of the high-level funding ambitions of the LU agenda – some funds focus specifically on innovation, some on tackling the fundamental issues, with a significant policy gap in the middle of how to connect these two ambitions. Whilst the ambition is for economic growth, this should not be growth for growth’s sake and should consider the importance of inclusive growth as a central tenet.

In conclusion, I believe that the Levelling Up agenda has delivered meaningful investment in Scotland, and particularly within parts of Glasgow City Region. It has strengthened innovation ecosystems, improved infrastructure and elevated regional inequality as a national priority. Yet it’s true impact has been limited by fragmented governance, bureaucratic processes and insufficient alignment between investment and more fundamental social challenges.

For all Governments working in the GCR (and Scottish) contexts, progress should not be in abandoning LU principles, but in refining and enhancing them – renewing government relationships, stronger partnership working, regional empowerment, and with a greater focus on genuinely inclusive growth.

Author

Andrew served as the Delivery, Engagement & Governance Lead for Scotland, and the area lead for the Glasgow City Region and Ayrshire within MHCLG from 2021 – 2025. Within this role, he was responsible for policy design within the Scottish context, cross-Government and external stakeholder engagement, and liaison, Programme monitoring and review, and supporting broader, stand-alone funding interventions within the GCR and Ayrshire. Since January 2026, he has worked at the University of Glasgow as the Head of Economic Development Projects. Connect with Andrew Docherty on LinkedIn.

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The Centre for Public Policy Practice Fellows programme connects policy professionals with University of Glasgow researchers to explore evidence-led solutions to real-world policy challenges. Fellows engage in short-term collaboration to investigate pressing questions from their roles and contribute to knowledge exchange between academic and practice. 

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First published: 11 March 2026