(1)A Minister of the Crown must prepare, and lay before each House of Parliament, a statement of levelling-up missions.
(2)A “statement of levelling-up missions” is a document which sets out—
(a)objectives which His Majesty’s Government intends to pursue to reduce geographical disparities in the United Kingdom significantly (“levelling-up missions”), within a period specified in the statement (the “mission period”), and
(b)details of how His Majesty’s Government proposes to measure progress in delivering those levelling-up missions (the “mission progress methodology and metrics”).
(3)In the course of preparing a statement of levelling-up missions, the Minister of the Crown must have regard to—
(a)the importance of the levelling-up missions in the statement (taken as a whole) addressing both economic and social disparities in opportunities or outcomes, and
(b)the needs of rural areas.
(4)The mission period for a statement of levelling-up missions must not—
(a)begin before the statement has been laid before each House of Parliament, nor
(b)be shorter than five years.
(5)A statement of levelling-up missions must specify a target date for the delivery of each of the levelling-up missions in it, which may be before or at the end of the mission period.
(6)If different target dates are specified under subsection (5) for different levelling-up missions, the statement of levelling-up missions must give reasons for the different dates.
(7)The first statement of levelling-up missions must come into effect before the end of the period of one month beginning with the day on which this section comes into force.
(8)A statement of levelling-up missions comes into effect when—
(a)the statement has been laid before each House of Parliament and published by a Minister of the Crown, and
(b)the mission period in the statement begins.
(9)Before the end of the mission period in a statement of levelling-up missions (“the old statement”), a Minister of the Crown must prepare a new statement of levelling-up missions, lay it before each House of Parliament and publish it.
(10)The mission period in the new statement of levelling-up missions must begin no later than immediately after the end of the mission period in the old statement.
(11)When the new statement of levelling-up missions comes into effect it replaces the old statement, which ceases to have effect.
(12)References in this Part to the current statement of levelling-up missions are to the statement of levelling-up missions for the time being in effect.
Commencement Information
I1S. 1 in force at 26.12.2023, see s. 255(1)(b)
(1)In the course of preparing a statement of levelling-up missions, a Minister of the Crown must—
(a)have regard to any role of the devolved legislatures and devolved authorities in connection with the levelling-up missions in the statement, and
(b)carry out such consultation as the Minister considers appropriate with the devolved authorities.
(2)A Minister of the Crown must prepare a document which sets out how the Minister has complied with subsection (1)(a).
(3)A Minister of the Crown must lay the document mentioned in subsection (2) before each House of Parliament, and publish it, at the same time as, or as soon as is reasonably practicable after, the statement of levelling-up missions is so laid and published.
Commencement Information
I2S. 2 in force at 26.12.2023, see s. 255(1)(b)