The UK Government’s final round of its Levelling Up Fund (LUF) is imminent, with up to £1bn remaining to be allocated in Round 3.  As we await the announcement, Local authorities (LAs) should use the time they have now to prepare, plan and appraise proposed projects against value for money, deliverability, and strategic fit. In the current climate, against a dynamic political backdrop, there are several fundamentals that LAs need to give even greater consideration to, in comparison to the last two rounds.

One important element is potential changes to the application process. Much of the sentiment from  UKREiiF was that the intensive time and resources required to complete the funding process, versus the chances of success, were costing LAs and their already limited resourcing. We predict the process will become more automated, in light of the feedback from the first and second rounds.