Rochdale one of six Greater Manchester boroughs to benefit from Jeremy Hunt’s surprise Levelling Up cash in Spring Budget

Rochdale from Rooley Moor Road

Budget measures announced by the Chancellor yesterday include levelling up cash boosts for six of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs, including Rochdale.

As well as a wider devolution package for the region, Jeremy Hunt announced funding for community regeneration projects in Stockport, Salford, Tameside and Wigan while Rochdale and Oldham will have access to a £400m fund over the next two years along with 18 other councils in England.

The Chancellor announced during his Spring budget speech that Oldham and Rochdale would be included in a £400m funding pot designated for ‘levelling up partnerships’.

The two Greater Manchester boroughs will be among 20 local authorities having access to a programme that the Treasury says involves ‘deep dives’ carried out by councils, MPs, business and civic leaders to gather a ‘picture of a place and its unique challenges and opportunities, and identify cross-Government interventions to unblock obstacles to regeneration’.

No specific schemes for the two areas have been identified at this stage but any money directed to the boroughs will come in the next two years.

The Treasury added: “The rolling out of Levelling Up Partnerships will provide bespoke place-based regeneration in an initial 20 of England’s areas most in need of levelling up over 2023-24 and 2024-25.”

Rochdale and Oldham were were selected as places in England in need of intervention after metrics such as the percentage of adults with qualifications, gross value added per hour worked, median gross weekly pay and healthy life expectancy were examined.

In his budget speech, the chancellor said: “I will make over £400m available for new Levelling Up Partnerships in areas that include Redcar and Cleveland, Blackburn, Oldham, Rochdale, Mansfield, South Tyneside, and Bassetlaw.”

Chris Gee, Local Democracy Reporter